


Surreptitious

by SA_Wolfie



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Hosie, Hybrid - Freeform, Werewolf, tribrid, wolflove - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 84,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25708498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SA_Wolfie/pseuds/SA_Wolfie
Summary: A Hosie-centric continution of where Season 2 ended off. With Hope still trapped in Josie's subconscious, the young siphon is experiencing intense transcendental dreams and rather ineffable encounters with Hope's wolf. What does it mean? And what will it lead to once they return to the physical realm? Eventually all hidden things must come to light...
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Jade & Josie Saltzman, Landon Kirby/Hope Mikaelson, Milton "MG" Greasley & Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 229
Kudos: 367





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

It had been what felt like an eternity since Josie had found out about Landon's death.

He had been an immortal phoenix, supposedly indestructible, felled by a golden arrow thrust through him by his very own brother. Rafael was perhaps the only person more inconsolable than Josie herself, though while she dealt with her grief with an endless stream of tears, the wolf handled his emotions in fits of rage. His aggression towards everyone around him – though mostly directed at himself – lead to Alaric having to contain him in one of the transition cells for the most part. At times Josie would find herself slipping down to see him, the two of them sitting together in silent agony as they grieved for their fallen loved one.

The only other person that would possibly be able to understand the immenseness of their sorrow would be Hope Mikaelson. Everyone was, however, too preoccupied at the time in dealing with the actual death of a friend, that not much attention was being paid to the friend that was merely sleeping. Hope wasn't going anywhere, and Josie herself could only survive one heartache at a time. She'd have time to worry about Hope once she was able to get a hold on her heartache over Landon.

Hope was blissfully unaware of the fact that her love was gone. Being trapped in limbo had its advantages. Unfortunately, Hope was not aware of anything, in fact, as she remained frozen in stone on the landscape that was Josie's mind while her body remained statuesque itself, draped upon her own bed where she had been moved to, safely tucked away in her room. Her newly revived roommate, Alyssa, had insisted on moving into a different room, finding the sleeping beauty to be "too creepy", as she claimed.

No one knew why Hope had not awoken once Josie reclaimed control over her own self once more and consequently rid herself of the dark magic that had taken control of her life. Once mourning over Landon had started to subside, Alaric, MG and Kaleb had taken to the books in order to try and solve the riddle that was Hope's condition. Lizzy mostly remained by her sister's side, attempting to lessen the burden upon her heart as much as she was able to. Eventually, however, she also had to move on and grant Josie some much needed space to process her feelings and sort through her thoughts.

Though Josie was reluctant to spend too much time in the presence of her friends, she would still visit Rafael when the hallways were quiet and sit with him in silence, simply needing to know someone understood. And when she was not with Rafael, she would sneak into Hope's room and sit silently by the tribrid's side and let guilt wash over her, causing fresh tears to stain her cheeks. She felt responsible for Hope's so-called absence, and when she thought of how Hope would have to have her heart shattered by the news of Landon's death once she is revived made Josie feel like the villain of the story all over again.

When Josie lay in bed at night, staring at the ceiling through her tears, she wished she could simply cast her grief and her guilt into that coin along with her magic and be rid of it all forever. Eventually she would drift into a fitful sleep, wishing that she could be the one to never wake up.


	2. "Change the Story"

"Josie, change the story!"

Josie jolted upright in her bed, beads of sweat covering her face and neck.

"Hope…" She whimpered.

(…)

Josie rolled over in bed when her alarm clock beeped incessantly at her from her bedside table, swinging one heavy arm the next second to smack it clean across the room in one fell swoop. She was still so tired, and the nightmares were not helping.

She had been having strange dreams nearly every night, though she could never quite piece them together by the time morning came. They evaded her as they seemed to drift off into nothing but foggy images of a forest, a cabin, a clearing with the ruins of what was once a stone chapel, and a statue of a girl.

"Jo, you'll be late for class." Lizzy's voice pierced Josie's thoughts from where she sat in front of the mirror, combing her hair. Josie's blonde twin was already dressed in her uniform and seemed ready for the day, though Josie could not bring herself to understand why. Why would anyone care about school or class or breakfast or anything vaguely resembling a normal teenage life when the boy you loved was dead and your best friend was stuck in an eternal sleep.

"Come on. It's been too long. You need to get back to your life, Jo." Lizzy tried again, but Josie groaned and pulled the blanket over her head, wishing she could simply hide away from the world forever. Even once she was finally out of bed and dressed and off to class, she continued to hide herself away as much as she could. She conversed with no one and barely even looked at anyone. By the end of every day she was back in her bed and under the covers, seeking solitude and darkness once more.

Then every night, the dreams would return.

(…)

"Your subconscious made a fairytale: that the good you is weak, and the powerful you is evil. Tell yourself a different story."

Josie's eyes shot open, Hope's name a whisper on her lips once more.

She felt out of breath.

Slipping out of bed, Josie softly padded to the bathroom adjoining her and Lizzy's room and headed for the sink. She splashed some cool water on her face and closed the tap. When she looked up into the mirror before her, black eyes were staring back, causing her to yelp and jump back reflexively. Given another second to study her reflection, however, her normal doe-brown eyes were staring back at her, though wide with fright.

She clutched her night shirt over her racing heart and swallowed hard.

(…)

Josie scratched around her plate listlessly at the breakfast table. Her friends surrounded her and the chatter was easy-going, but she heard none of it. Every voice sounded like a lifeless droning in her ears, as if she was floating under water. She felt about the same amount of dead as if she were.

Rafael had been joining the gang more often as of late. He was also still quiet and melancholy, though you could see he was trying harder than Josie to re-immerse himself into normal school life. Josie was glad that he seemed to be able to take small steps towards normalcy. She was even proud of him for it, though it made her feel all the worse as she felt even more unable to do the same.

She didn't feel like anything would ever feel normal again. Not for her. Not with the demons haunting her.

(…)

"She would do the same for me."

Josie unconsciously clutched the pillow, but she didn't wake up.

"Of course I would, Hope. Hope!"

Josie followed the red cape in her dream. She called out to her again, but Hope didn't turn around.

"Hope, stop, wait! Where are you going? Come back!"

Josie jogged to catch up with the other girl as she moved through the archway of the stone ruins, then paused and turned around to look at Josie. As she did, however, a small smile starting to form on her lips, Josie caught her breath as she watched, horrified, as Hope turned into stone.

"Hope! No!" Josie called out as she jolted awake, panting, tears wetting the corners of her eyes. She quickly glanced around the dark bedroom, flustered. Her eyes fell upon her sister who was watching her worriedly from her bed, clearly having been woken by Josie's restless dreaming.

"Jo, are you okay? You were dreaming… about Hope." Lizzy looked both concerned and confused, and maybe a little weirded out. She reached to turn on her bedside light while Josie caught her breath.

Josie turned her wide eyes to her sister. "Lizzy, I… I keep seeing her. I think she's still in my head…"

(…)

"Are you sure this will work?" Josie looked skeptically at MG, who simply shrugged unsurely at her.

"I don't know, but it's worth a try?" He looked hopeful for a second, then tried to focus his mind while waiting for Josie to give him the go-ahead.

Lizzy was pacing the room on the other end as she watched the two seated in front of each other on Josie's bed. After Josie figuring that Hope was probably stuck in her subconscious, the twins enlisted the help of their vampiric friend to try and allow Josie entry into the deepest reaches of her own mind in order to find Hope. They felt very unsure of what they were doing, however.

"How exactly is this supposed to work anyway?" Lizzy asked, impatience lacing her voice. She was not fond of the idea that the tribrid, with whom she had only recently called a shaky truce, was taking up residence in the back of her twin's mind, especially not when it was causing Josie so much nighttime distress, and interfering with Lizzy's sleep.

"I don't know, Liz. It's not really an exact science. I just know that when Hope was stuck in the Necromancer's subconscious, he was the one to bring her out. Maybe Josie can do the same now." MG wasn't feeling very sure of himself or the situation. He was no expert in taking head dives yet, though a part of him felt responsible for Hope being stuck in her current predicament as he is the one who essentially put her there in the first place.

"Okay enough. Just do it." Josie snapped, not in the mood for any bickering while she dealt with the current dilemma. She sighed and closed her eyes, emptying her thoughts as MG did the same, his hands reaching for hers.


	3. "You Smell Like A Wolf" Part I

Josie felt a sense of familiarity as she stepped in between the trees, following the one to the other, her fingers lingering against the bark. The fresh forest floor crunched beneath every step she gave and released the scent of soil and crisp leaves. The air was fresh and the skies were clear, the warm and inviting rays of the sun casting streams of light through the canopy above her head. Somewhere laced between the branches was the loveliest sound of birdsong.

As she looked off into the distance, she could just barely make out the outlines of a magnificent castle and what appeared to be a quaint village thriving at its feet. Farmlands spread out from outside the village parameters and stretched to the edges of the forest. A glittering lake sat off to the side, fed by a bubbling river that wound its way from out of the trees.

It was the perfect fairytale setting, just like the lands described in the stories that Caroline had amused her daughters with when they were little.

Josie felt at home. Josie felt happy.

It took her some time to realize exactly where she was and what she was doing there. She was reminded of MG and Lizzie and the plan… the plan… wat was the plan again?

Josie was instantly distracted when she noticed movement in the corner of her eye. The creature had been moving so silently off to her side that she had not noticed it approaching. She slowly turned her head to observe the snow-white fur of the large wolf, the creature's feathery mane sweeping over its angular face where she noticed bright yellow eyes that seemed… familiar somehow.

She knew this was no ordinary wolf.

It beckoned to her and she was drawn to it as if by some force of magnetism.

She moved closer, carefully.

The wolf lowered its head and tugged its ears flat as she stepped closer.

Josie paused, uncertain.

There was some sort of electric charge to the air between them that she could not understand, could not explain, but knew she would be unable to ignore.

She gave another step towards the wolf.

The wolf's jaw dropped in a low whine as it watched Josie's every move intently.

Josie swallowed hard, yet took another step.

The wolf suddenly jerked itself upright and lifted its head on high.

A howl. A deeply unsettling howl.

Josie gasped, feeling an equally deep ache shoot through her chest.

(…)

"Jo, are you okay?" Lizzie grabbed her twin by the shoulder and studied her face in concern, watching as Josie struggled to catch her breath with wide eyes. "What happened?" Lizzie asked, though her question was more directed to MG who was still seated on the other side of Josie, rubbing his eyes as if trying to rub away the sudden throbbing behind them.

"Em, did you see it?" Josie gasped at the young vampire, her brows knit tightly together, confused as to what had just happened in the tangle of the deeper layers of her subconscious.

"See what?" Lizzie spat, her tone high-pitched and questioning.

"I did, Jo. And it wasn't happy. I don't think your subconscious wants me in there." MG groaned as he stood up to lean against the wall opposite from the bed Josie was still seated on. He felt dizzy.

"What "it"? Can someone fill me in?" Lizzie was getting louder by the second, causing new waves of pain to shoot through MG's brain.

"A wolf. A beautiful, white wolf." Josie nearly whispered as she stared at the floor, lost in thought. A few long seconds later she turned her confused gaze back to the vampire. "It wasn't mine, MG. Everything was familiar. Every tree, every leaf, every inch of forest floor. I felt it as if it was a part of me. But not the wolf. The wolf was… I don't know. I can't explain it."

(…)

At dinner time in the cafeteria Josie found herself tuning out most of the conversation moving back and forth between her friends, her eyes focused on a random spot on her plate that she kept pushing her food around. She could not seem to sort through her thoughts for the rest of the day after MG's head dive, deeply bothered by what they had found in her mind. The wolf had felt so familiar to her, yet it was clearly an 'other' in her mind. It was not formed by her mind like everything else had been. It was not a part of her, and yet somehow she felt like it should be, like somewhere deep in her chest she was longing for the wolf to somehow be a part of her.

And she had no idea why.

"You smell different." Rafael was seated next to Josie and she had not noticed until that very moment how he had been staring at her all evening. She looked over to his plate with a furrowed brow, noting that he had barely touched his own food, much like her.

"What do you mean?" She frowned even more deeply, not sure whether she should be more confused, or just offended. "How do I just… smell… different?" She kept her voice low, the words staying between the two of them as the rest of the table remained occupied.

"I don't know how to describe it…" Rafael himself knit his brows together in confusion. "You smell like…" He paused and leaned in closer to Josie, almost intimately.

"You smell like a wolf."

(…)

That night Josie dreams again.

The wolf is back.

And they're running. Running freely and with abandon through the forest.

They take turns to chase each other. She doesn't know how she manages to keep up, but she does.

The ground shifts in the wake of their heels. The wind rushes past their ears.

They collapse in a soft bed of flowers nestled in a peaceful clearing.

She can feel the silky brush of the wolf's fur against her cheek and beneath her fingertips.

She can feel the inviting warmth radiating from the animal as they curl up beneath the rising moon.

For just one night, Josie finally feels at peace.


	4. Territorial Part I

"Hey Josie… How are you?"

Josie was slightly startled from her thoughts at the timid greeting directed her way. She had been busy doing some school work in the library by herself when she was approached by the female vampire.

"I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you." Jade seemed to flush slightly in embarrassment when Josie didn't do anything other than stare at her. In Josie's defense, there had been so much occupying her mind lately that she had sort of forgotten about Jade being around now. She felt guilty.

"No! No, not at all. I'm sorry. Please, sit down." Josie ran a hand nervously through her hair and gestured for Jade to take the seat next to her. "I've… been okay, I guess. Thanks for asking. How are you?"

Jade sat down awkwardly, some books clutched to her chest as if she was trying to maintain some sort of protective barrier between them. "I'm fine, yeah. I'm an official student here once more. It's… really weird, I guess?" She grinned at Josie and felt elated when she received a smile in return, even though Josie still seemed to have that faraway look in her eyes.

"That's really great, Jade. I'm so happy for you." Josie cooed at the older girl and quickly noticed the hopeful look in her eyes. It made Josie's stomach twist into knots, unsure whether it was a good feeling or a bad feeling. She paused for another moment and inhaled deeply, then released the breath in a sigh as she added, "I'm really glad I'll get to see more of you now… officially, that is."

At this Jade's whole demeanor shifted to the extent where it seemed like she might burst from excitement at any moment. She flashed Josie the most charming smile she could muster before ducking her head down bashfully. Josie couldn't help but be tickled by how different Jade seemed now with her humanity switched back on. She was so much more demure, innocent, even fragile, than the hungry vampire that wanted to literally devour Josie within the first 2 minutes of seeing her in the prison world.

"Wendy also gets to finish out her senior year with me. We're really happy to be back. And I'm really happy that I will be able to get to know a whole different side of little Josie Saltzman." Jade braved the comment she delivered with a slight flirtatious edge to her voice and watched with delight as a light blush burned at Josie's cheeks.

Feeling almost uncomfortably warm now, Josie giggled and nodded shyly at the vampire, slightly disturbed by the knotting that intensified in her tummy. "Well, I hope I don't disappoint…" She almost purred as she watched Jade's hand slowly fall to her knee, amazed and intrigued by the daring show by the other girl.

"I'm positive I will be satisfied." The vampire smiled.

(…)

Josie inhaled deeply from the sweet air as she watched the sun slowly slump towards the horizon. The last few rays of sunshine left a light warm glow on her skin, which would start tingling soon after as the evening air drew in upon her.

But that was not the only reason her skin was tingling, nor the reason the fine hairs at the back of her neck stood on end as it grew darker around her. She could feel that she was not alone, yet she was not afraid. There was no reason to be unsettled. Her companion radiated nothing but warmth, strength… even affection.

"Hello girl…" Josie breathed as the white wolf brushed up against her where she sat comfortably in the grass a few feet from the cliff's edge, enjoying the beautiful view she had of the kingdom below. The dim lights from various fires and torches only served as a warm reflection of the stars that soon started sparkling above.

The wolf wasted no time in weaving her lithe body around Josie, ducking her head underneath Josie's chin as the girl wrapped her arms around the warmth of the fluffy body. The wolf sniffed here and there and nudged at Josie with her nose to the extent where it tickled, drawing delightfully melodic laughter from the girl. "You're so friendly. And so, so pretty, girl…"

At that the wolf happily licked at Josie's jaw, causing further happy giggles to erupt from the young witch, though it didn't last long. The wolf was suddenly on edge, something having caught her attention that she hadn't noticed before.

A scent.

She sniffed the air.

No.

She sniffed around Josie again.

Almost.

She sniffed at the hem of Josie's skirt.

That was it.

The wolf growled, baring her teeth – not at Josie, but rather at the scent she picked up on Josie. She pressed her twitching snout to the spot where the strange scent was most offensive, the deep growl in her chest never dissipating, causing Josie to stare nervously at the animal.

"Wha… what is it girl? What's bothering you so much?" Josie stammered slightly, not entirely sure whether she should be weary of the wolf's sudden show of aggression, yet somehow she felt that she needn't worry. She still felt safe with the snowy animal regardless.

The wolf whined and licked at the spot on the hem of Josie's skirt that she had been obsessing over, then started nipping at it with her front teeth, almost as if she was trying to suckle the offending smell out of the fabric. Josie simply watched as the wolf went about it, allowing one of her hands to come to rest between the canine's ears, stroking lightly.

When the wolf seemed satisfied that she had destroyed whatever scent she had found infecting Josie, she turned her gaze to the girl and Josie could see those eyes aglow again, the bright golden hue entrancing her. She found herself locked in silent communion with the wolf, as if their souls were somehow trying to reach out to one another.

Then it happened. It was so quick and so unexpected that Josie barely yelped.

The wolf had bit her.

Barely. It was more of a nip, almost seemingly out of frustration, rather than an actual bite. The wolf didn't even break the skin on Josie's hand. Yet still, there was a certain level of insistence from the wolf, a certain amount of determination behind those glowing eyes that Josie just couldn't quite put her finger on.


	5. "I Miss You"

"How can you be sure it's her?"

Josie was seated on the small dock by the side of the lake, legs crossed beneath her and eyes scanning the calm surface of the water in deep contemplation. Seated next to her was Rafael, his own knees hugged to his chest with one arm, while his free hand was tossing small pebbles into the water a mere foot away from them.

"I don't know. I mean, I've never seen Hope's wolf before, but…" Josie sighed and distractedly pushed some stray strands of hair behind her ear. "She just feels so familiar. She feels strong and brave and kind." Josie shrugged and swallowed, rolling the next few words silently around her tongue before uttering them softly. "She feels like home."

Rafael glanced over to the girl beside him, contemplating the thoughtful expression settling between her brows. "Why would she bite you then?"

Josie shrugged and tilted her head to the side. "It wasn't really a bite. She wasn't being aggressive. It was more like… almost like…" Josie struggled with the words, and even more so with the meaning behind them. "Almost like she was trying to mark me." She looked up at Rafael with confusion, "This is why I'm talking to you, Raf. What does it mean?"

Rafael snorted a little and shook his head with a small smile in response. "Jo, I'm still a baby wolf. I don't really know. I've never experienced anything like it. I'm sorry." He felt a painful pang in his gut as he saw the look of disappointment that crept onto Josie's sweet face then, and sighed deeply. "But… if I had to think about it. I mean, if I had to guess – and this is purely based on my own feelings and instincts…" He paused and flicked another pebble into the water, this one with more meaning and effort.

"Wolves are territorial. We don't like to share anything that we deeply believe is ours, unless it is with our own pack. And we mark that which we think is ours so that any outsider may know that it is our territory." He trailed off for a few seconds as he reached for Josie's hand to bring it closer for observation. There was indeed a soft purple mark on the outside edge of her palm – a bruise. "What I'm confused about is how you have an actual physical mark if this happened in your dreams."

(…)

"MG, please!" Josie pleaded as best as she could, her hands wrapped around her friend's arm while he himself tried to squirm out of her grasp.

"Jo, seriously. I understand that you need answers. But I'm telling you." He stopped walking through the shelves of books for a second and turned to face her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "That wolf does not want me in your head. I felt sick last time. And let's not forget that wolves can actually kill inexperienced little vamps like me, mkay?"

"But MG it's not actually physically real. How can she hurt you if…" Josie stopped dead in her tracks after she had picked up her pace once more, flitting after the boy. He was staring at her in all worried seriousness, his hand wrapped around hers.

"However she managed to do this, Jo." He said softly, lifting her hand to eye level between them. "We both know that she is not some figment of your imagination. She is as real as she would be had she been here physically." He sighed and pulled her closer to him then, wrapping his arms securely around her in a hug. "I'm sorry. I want to help. But I really don't think me intruding on this wolf's territory is going to help."

(…)

Josie tentatively reached for the sleeping girl's hand, touching it softly at first, but soon sinking into the feeling and allowing her fingers to lace with the opposing pair. She watched Hope silently, a slight wetness forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Hope. I know this is my fault… I just wish I knew how to fix it." She breathed out in a sigh and moved closer, allowing their private reverie to encase them in an intimate silence for a while. "Please help me." She breathed shakily after a few moments, then continued. "I know you're trying to tell me something. I know it's you. I can feel you, Hope. But I don't understand."

Josie shook her head slightly and tilted it to the side as she scowled at the seemingly peaceful girl. "Why your wolf? Where are you? Please… help me find you. If I can just find you… maybe… maybe…" Her words faded slowly as one tear finally escaped and rolled unopposed down her cheek. "I need you, Hope. I can't…"

Josie started to weep softly, burying her face into Hope's shoulder.

"Hope… I have to tell you something…"

She could feel her stomach churn as she started speaking about Landon. Her sobs grew more violent with each word, but she swallowed them down as best as she could as she poured her broken heart out to her friend. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to; she had absolutely no idea whether the words would even reach Hope on a conscious level somehow. But she had to purge and she had to get the pain off her chest. She felt so incredibly guilty, knowing that if Hope could somehow take in what she was busy telling her, that her heart would be broken into a million pieces.

A part of her hoped that perhaps it would allow her friend time to grieve in her own space without having to face dozens of sad expressions and consoling arms. Several long weeks had passed now since Landon's death and life was starting to slowly move ahead for everyone, despite the pain and sadness. But Josie knew that the longer Hope remained unaware of her loss, the harder it would hit her, and that while all eyes would be on her.

After what seemed like an eternity of emptying her heart to Hope, Josie stood slowly and lingered by the tribrid's side. After letting go of one more sniffle, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss upon Hope's brow, then whispered softly before leaving, "I miss you…"

(…)

Josie opened her eyes and it was dark already. She was standing in the flower-filled clearing where she had spent her first night alone with Hope's wolf. The moon was hanging high in the sky and seemed to have a somewhat unholy glow to it.

She was completely alone. She couldn't feel Hope.

Slightly frightened, Josie glanced around her at the trees and their black silhouettes, searching for any sign of the wolf.

Her heart clenched painfully when she heard it then.

A deep howl from somewhere in the distance.

A broken howl.

A howl that sounded of utter despair.


	6. A Distraction

Four days.

It had been four excruciating days since Josie last saw the wolf. Every night she would dream as usual and she would visit the forest of her subconscious, but she remained alone. She did not see Hope, did not hear her, could not even feel her.

Josie felt like she was on the verge of breaking down.

She could not explain it, but there was something absolutely undeniably poignant about the feelings swarming within her at Hope's absence from her dreams. She adored the tribrid; considered her her best friend. However, there was something vague but persistent creeping up her spine and into the back of her mind as of late. It was as if though every time she slept and she dreamt and she found herself still without Hope by her side, she could feel another small piece of her heart splintering and falling away.

She knew she'd do absolutely anything to get the older girl back.

(…)

"It's really hard to say. Most of the myths we've been looking into revolve around demon-like creatures that cause nightmares." Alaric eyed his daughter while her blonde twin held her arm protectively around her shoulders.

"Mares, Pesanta, Batibat, Pisadeira, Hags, Phi Am – those are just some of the creatures that are known for basically crushing your chest while you sleep and inducing terrifying nightmares." Kaleb noted on the other side of the room as he waved a book about and shrugged his shoulders.

"On the other hand, you've got some variations such as the Kikimora, Melino, Lietuvens, Ogun Oru, Bakhtak, Pandafeche, Alu – all creatures that are known for causing sleep paralysis." MG offered from next to Kaleb as his gaze travelled from Josie to Lizzie and back to Alaric.

"All I'm hearing is a bunch of randomly strung together syllables. You guys are not being helpful!" Lizzie interjected as she grabbed her twin's hand in a show of support, but Josie was quick to place her other hand on Lizzie's arm in a soothing gesture, very familiar with the way Lizzie's frustrations were prone to spilling over.

"I'm not having nightmares though, and neither am I experiencing sleep paralysis. Wouldn't these creatures be affecting me as the dreamer?" Josie asked thoughtfully as she cast her eyes back to her father.

"Not necessarily. Hope is also asleep and so she could also be the one that is affected. It could be that somehow your dreams are being linked." Alaric offered.

"But is Hope really sleeping though?" MG asked a second later, brows furrowed as he glanced around the room. Kaleb soon caught on to what he was implying and finished his thoughts for him, "G put her in Josie's subconscious. Wouldn't it be more a case of her consciousness being displaced into…"

"Another world." Josie nodded, eyes growing wide. "Like the box!"

"You mean that torture device that turned me into the world's most pathetic actress?" Lizzie pulled a face as she recalled their joint experience in the film noir existence that saw Josie's darkness come to the forefront. The thought caused her to shiver and feel a little queasy at the same time.

"The Chambre De Chasse?" Alaric arched a brow, seemingly both intrigued and a little skeptical at the same time.

"Well, not exactly. But perhaps it's a similar mechanism that keeps Hope confined to Josie's subconscious." MG said and nodded towards the dark-haired twin.

"And perhaps," Kaleb stepped forward again to fill in the blanks left by his vampiric brother, "Hope needs to first regain self-awareness before she can exit Jo's mind and, well, wake up."

The gang went silent for a few seconds as they fell into a thoughtful spell. It seemed possible, for sure.

"If Hope is not self-aware and is struggling to find this awareness, then Jo, you need to go find her and help her discover it." Alaric stepped towards Josie and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I've been trying to find her. But every time I look for her… her wolf…" Josie shook her head almost imperceptibly, yet there was a slight blush coloring her cheeks then. She rubbed her hand absentmindedly with the other.

"What about her wolf…?" Alaric asked then, brows creasing his forehead as he watched Josie closely. Josie had neglected to inform him of the exact nature of the wolf's behavior in her dreams – especially the part about the biting. She knew her dad might freak out unnecessarily.

"Nothi-" Josie started when Lizzie, ever the thoughtful sister, chimed in, "Hope marked her!" She squealed.

"Lizzie, she didn't!" Josie's cheeks burned scarlet then as Alaric's jaw dropped slightly, then a flash of anger shot through his eyes. "She what?"

Josie shoved her twin lightly but it did nothing to deter Lizzie from divulging the sensitive information to their father. She grabbed Josie's hand and lifted it for Alaric to observe the now mostly faded mark. "She bit you?!" He choked out as he took Josie's hand to get a closer look.

"She just nipped me. It's nothing." Josie whined irritably and pulled her hand back, then shot her sister a less than impressed look from beneath her dark lashes.

"Josie! Werewolves don't nip! They either ravage, or they…" He sighed, lifting his hand to his forehead where he could use his thumb and forefinger to massage his temples. His head was suddenly pounding.

Josie blinked, her tongue quickly darting out to wet her lips as her mouth felt suddenly very, very dry. "Or they what, dad?"

Alaric dropped his hand and set his jaw, then shook his head. "We'll talk about this later." He quickly cast his awkward gaze back to the two vampires in the room and encouraged them back into their research before he shooed his daughters from his office. "Lizzie, go get your sister some food. I know she hasn't been eating." He barked before closing the office doors.

(…)

"You know I love you Jo, but I can't say that I approve." Lizzie stared hard at her sister as she sat across the table from her, both idly working on ingesting the food on the plates before them."

"And what exactly do I need your approval for?" Josie leaned back and sighed, not sure she had the strength for her twin's nonsense at that moment.

"Hope." Lizzie raised both her brows at Josie, but when her sister seemed intent on playing dumb, the blonde elaborated further. "As in. Hope. And you. You and Hope. Together."

Josie choked on the noodles she had just swallowed and coughed furiously, quickly grabbing her glass of water to aid the constriction of her throat.

"Don't be so dramatic. We both know, and dad clearly knows, that that's what the biting was about." Lizzie leaned in closer and lowered her voice to obtain the desired effect.

Josie was about to protest fervently as she felt feverish from embarrassment, when the pair was interrupted.

"Josie!" Jade grinned as she approached the table where the twins were seated, eyeing the empty chair next to the darker-haired of the two. Lizzie had quickly realized some weeks ago that the only person she liked even less sniffing around her sister than Hope Mikaelson, it was Jade the Ripper – as the blonde called her (though never to her face).

"Well that's my cue." Lizzie smiled at the vampire in that sickeningly sweet manner she used to when she was trying to communicate her loathing towards someone, and quickly left the hall.

Jade bit the inside of her one cheek as she watched Lizzie skip off, then turned her guilty gaze towards Josie. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Josie gave her best apologetic smile and shook her head at the other girl, "No, no of course you didn't. Interrupt, I mean." Josie still couldn't quite make out what exactly she felt when she was around Jade. That distinct knotting in her abdomen returned whenever Jade cast those near luminescent eyes upon her, yet at the same time she felt the need to make a squirmy exit as soon as she could. Her senses were in constant flux around the vampire and the siphon really wasn't sure what to make of it. Did she want to reach out, or recoil? Sometimes she swore it was both.

"Hey listen…" Jade cleared her throat nervously as she scooted slightly closer to Josie, her eyes cast downward into her lap. "I was wondering…"

"Yes." Josie exclaimed before Jade could even finish her sentence, having no idea what she had just agreed to.

She didn't know why she did it, but she felt like she needed a distraction. She needed an escape.

She needed to not think about Hope.


	7. "And Then You Kissed Me"

"And then the Necromancer took the dark magic from you and disappeared?" Jade asked tentatively as she watched Josie closely where she sat across from her at the small table outside the coffee shop. They had decided that a short trip off campus for a milkshake wouldn't do too much harm, and Josie especially thought that it could help get her thoughts off of her wolfy problem.

However, considering the circumstances under which Josie and Jade had become reacquainted and everything that had happened since, it had been difficult to keep their conversation light.

"I don't even want to imagine the havoc he is able to create at the moment." Josie shook her head solemnly at the thought, though she was incredibly relieved to be rid of the darkness that had consumed her and, essentially, lead her to killing her sister. If it hadn't been for Hope and Landon…

No no, she had to derail that train of thought.

Jade noticed as Josie's face clouded over and reached her hand across the table to take hold of Josie's. The gesture was effective in that it did immediately pull Josie from her thoughts as her gaze shot to their joined hands, along with a small jolt of electricity that shot up her arm and into her chest.

"Listen…Josie…" Jade started then but paused as she wet her lips. She was clearly nervous. "I know the darkness you endured was terrible. I had a taste of what kind of damage such deep-seated darkness can do to a person's psyche. When you found me in that prison world I was nothing short of a monster…" Jade looked away, ashamed, and slowly pulled her hand back from Josie's in order to fold her arms in front of her in some sort of defensive stance, even though she knew she didn't need to. Josie was nothing but warm and comforting on all accounts.

"I was going to kill you…" She winced when she uttered the words and guiltily looked up at Josie, who in turn held no sign of shock, disgust, or even judgement. This girl was too good for her, and Jade knew it.

"You wouldn't have been able to." Josie smiled slightly and canted her head to one side. "The darkness never would have allowed it."

"That's the thing…" Jade jumped in quickly as if she had an epiphany that she wanted to share. "It was that darkness that enabled you to… I mean, I have no doubt that you're an incredibly powerful witch and all, but…"

"It's the darkness that gave me the power to flip your switch." Josie finished for her. Jade nodded.

"I owe you so much Josie. God knows what would have become of me if you hadn't done that. I would have probably stayed locked up there… or died, like Diego… or like Kai…" She shivered.

"You had sex with my evil uncle, you know that right?" Josie pulled a face then. The thought definitely bothered her and made her feel a little sick, but in all honesty she meant to say the quip as a joke to lighten the mood.

Jade, on the other hand, turned so red she looked like she might burst into flames. Burying her head in her hands, she groaned from embarrassment, which caused Josie to chuckle at her teasingly.

After a few mortifying moments Jade dared to look back up at Josie, and though her cheeks were still a deep rose color, her eyes were shining brightly. "And then you kissed me."

At this Josie twitched, brows furrowing in confusion. "I… – I did?"

"Ooooh ouch, was it that forgettable?" Jade bit her bottom lip and leaned back in her chair, feeling more embarrassment tightening like a choker chain around her throat.

"Wait!" Josie's eyes grew wide then as realization dawned on her. "That night… in the old mill… I thought I had dreamt that! Lizzie was even… uhh, making fun of me." Josie shook her head, choosing rather to not divulge how, according to her twin, she had been having a 'sex dream'.

"If it had been a dream, it was a dream we had shared, because for me it was very… very real…." Jade dipped her head a little shyly.

"I guess it was very real then…" Josie blushed in return. That familiar knotting in her stomach returned. It was bothersome. It felt amazing. It felt exciting. It felt enticing. It was annoying. It was distracting. It was confusing. It was…

"Come on." When Josie blinked her attention back to what was actually happening, Jade was standing next to her, holding out her hand for Josie to take. She did and allowed Jade's fingers to slip in between hers as they walked off. Josie swallowed at the warmth radiating up her arm.

"So what's next?" Jade asked as she easily guided Josie down one of the walkways that wound through the park.

"Wha… What do you mean? We, uhhh…." Josie stuttered, completely at a loss due to the sudden intense fluctuation of her nerves.

"I mean – " Jade giggled and glanced over to the witch next to her, allowing herself for a second to admire how beautifully the soft light of the setting sun caught the deep brown of her hair, illuminating the top of her head into a halo. How perfect, the vampire thought. "I mean. With what's going on at school… like… what's going on with Hope?"

At the mention of the tribrid Josie froze, her hand quickly releasing Jade's as she turned to face the other girl, her brows lowered concerningly low to match her sudden harsh tone. "How do you know about Hope?" Josie knew for a fact the Super Squad had been keeping Hope's condition a secret from the rest of the school. While they could not hide what had happened to Landon, they had thought it best that knowledge of the tribrid's current very vulnerable state was best kept from public knowledge.

"I… I'm sorry Josie. I didn't mean to… I just… saw some stuff… and you know, vamp hearing can be a bitch to switch off…" Jade looked somewhat mortified, like a child that had been caught with its hand in the cookie jar. She honestly meant no harm.

"You shouldn't…" Josie shook her head and folded her arms around her, then started walking again, causing a gap between her and Jade that the vampire had to skip through to catch up. It was amazing how quickly feelings of attraction and butterflies turned to stone at the mention of one name.

"Josie wait, I just…" Jade caught up and folded her fingers gently around Josie's shoulder to turn her back to face her. "I want to help. I owe you that much."

Josie stared.

Josie sighed and thought for a few long seconds.

No, rather not…

But yet…

Maybe…

"How good are you at doing head dives?" She finally asked the vampire, a glimmer of hope shining in her stormy eyes.


	8. Territorial: Part II

"Whoa…" Jade whispered as she looked at the dense forest around her. It wasn't dark or scary but rather had a beautifully serene feeling to it. The light that broke through the canopy was more than enough to illuminate their path between the trees as they slowly started wandering along.

"Yeah, it's a little embarrassing." Josie chuckled shyly, stealing a sideways glance at Jade. They were walking along her subconscious after Jade had agreed to help Josie gain entry to the deepest recess of her mind. Josie had explained to the vampire that even though she had access to her subconscious when she slept and dreamed, she had very little control over what happened as dreams tended to fluctuate in stability. Jade was more than happy to take a conscious Josie into her mind and help her find her friend.

"What's embarrassing? It's beautiful here. It's so peaceful… Enchanting, even." Jade grinned and tipped her head back to watch the birds above them whistle and sing happily.

"It's a fairytale world. It's… childish." Josie shrugged, her cheeks lightly tinted in a rosy color.

"It's child-like, not childish. It's adorable. There's something so pure and innocent about this place… A lot like you." Jade smiled genuinely at the young witch, daring to let her hand brush along Josie's as they walked shoulder to shoulder. "I'm not sure I'd want to know what the landscape of my subconscious looks like."

Josie allowed her hand, and subsequently her arm, to continue to brush up against the girl next to her, enjoying the closeness of someone she felt a sense of affection for. "I'm sure it's nothing bad. You're a good person, Jade. I don't want you to doubt yourself."

"Weeeeeeell… Well, thank you. It means a lot." Jade chuckled in return, then glanced back over to Josie once more before her gaze returned to the forest floor as they continued their meandering along the trees. "So, do you have any idea where we could find Hope?"

Josie sighed then, her thoughts refocusing on the task at hand and the whole reason she and the vampire were there to begin with. "I'm really not sure. I've seen flashes of places – a cottage, some stone ruins… I've seen Hope turn into a statue, but I'm not sure whether that was real or just my dreams playing around with my fears."

"Well, I guess we start looking for these places then. If we can ever find our way out of this forest." Jade paused and glanced around again. They had been walking for a while now and she had absolutely no certainty that they weren't merely moving in circles. "Have you ever been outside the forest?"

"No, actually I haven't. I've been to the cliff at the one edge of the forest where you can see the village from…" Josie paused and blushed again as she explained what she felt like was nonsensical rubbish. "And a clearing somewhere that is covered in flowers… But that's it."

"So what do you usually do while you're wandering around the forest?" Jade quirked one brow.

Josie swallowed uncomfortably and shoved her hands deep into the pockets of the jeans she was wearing. "Hope's wolf is always with me. I… she, well… we usually just kind of play, or chill together."

Jade noticed the shift in Josie's demeanor as she spoke about the tribrid and could immediately recognize that there was more than meets the eye. It caused a burning sensation within the vampire's chest, though she dared not give the emotion a name. She just hated the fact that she was, indeed, very sensitive.

She wouldn't ask any further questions regarding the wolf.

She wouldn't have been able to even if she had wanted to. The pair was interrupted.

Standing a few feet behind the girls, they quickly turned to the source of the deep growling that they could hear vibrating through the air. Four days of nothing, and the wolf suddenly decides to show up once Josie found another vampire to help her in her search. She couldn't help but smirk at Hope's impeccable timing.

The smirk wouldn't last long though as both Josie and Jade immediately registered the aggression coming off the wolf in palpable waves. The growling intensified as it lowered its head and bared its teeth. Its eyes were locked on the vampire.

Jade lifted her hands, ready to defend herself, while Josie quickly pulled the girl behind her in order to shield her from the wolf. "You need to go Jade. Now!"

"I'm not leaving you here with that thing!" Jade shook her head vehemently and stepped out from behind Josie, then stepped in front of the witch. This caused the wolf to jolt forward half a foot in an exceptionally threatening gesture, snapping its large jaws in warning.

"She's not a thing! And she won't hurt me! YOU NEED TO GO NOW!" Josie panicked and again tried to shield Jade from the wolf, but in the flurry of movement the wolf finally lost its patience and leapt at the duo, wasting no time in viciously grabbing the vampire by the shoulder and swinging her body around to toss her like a lifeless doll against a tree. The wolf then firmly stepped between Josie and Jade, continuing to bare her razor-like incisors at the vampire as she shielded her younger companion from the vampire.

Hope was having none of this intrusion.

Jade gripped her shoulder as it throbbed in agony, the realization of her impending doom setting in on both her and Josie. "Josie… I – she – I'll die!"

Josie shook her head as she remained standing behind Hope's wolf who was still occupying an extremely aggressive stance between the two girls. "No, Jade leave. Find my father. There are vials of Hope's blood in storage. You'll be okay, but you have to leave now before she really tries to kill you! Leave me here! I'll be fine, I need to find her other half. I have to! Just go!"

At the final syllable the wolf once again jumped forward by a foot as a threatening motion to the vampire, leaving Jade with no further room to argue. She disappeared within the next second as she reawakened herself to physical reality, all while leaving Josie inside her own subconscious with the wolf.


	9. Twin Flame

**A/N #1 – Please do yourself a favor and listen to "Keep the streets empty for me" by Fever Ray for this chapter. DO IT FIRST!**

**A/N #2 – If you are not familiar with the concept of Twin Flames (as opposed to Soul Mates), please look it up! You can do that after reading this chapter.**

(…)

Once they were finally alone, Hope's wolf calmed down immediately and turned to face Josie. Josie wanted to be mad at Hope. She wanted to scold her, and she wanted to walk away from her.

She couldn't.

The wolf sat down and watched Josie closely with glowing orbs of gold. Those attentive eyes followed every single move Josie made, every twitch of every nerve, every stretch of every muscle, every breath, every beat of her heart. Josie could not look away. The magnetism was too strong and she found herself locked into the wolf's gaze, mesmerized. She slowly sunk down to her knees in the soft grass, never breaking contact with the animal.

Hope, in return, pulled back her ears and lowered her head, before lowering the front of her body down into a bowing motion before Josie. It was as if the wolf was honoring her, Josie thought. She instinctively mirrored the motions of the wolf, slowly reaching forward to place her palms on the grass before her and lowering her upper body somewhat, arms straight, essentially bowing in return. She honestly wasn't sure whether she was even moving willingly anymore. There was an indescribable force within her that felt like it was taking over, a subconscious drive that was guiding her thoughts, her actions, even her emotions.

As Josie remained in her bowed position, Hope moved closer tentatively, but with purpose. The beautiful creature crawled between Josie's outstretched arms in order to not tower over the girl. It was clear that the wolf did not want to startle Josie in any way or make her feel unsafe or threatened in the slightest. The waves of gentle affection emanating from the wolf washed over the young witch and she sighed deeply as the astounding animal pressed its forehead to hers softly.

Their eyes drifted shut…

In that moment a connection was made. A bond was created that seemed to transcend time and space and all of existence in one mere instance. Josie swore she could feel her soul reaching towards Hope and entwining with hers in the most beautiful metaphysical moment that the universe could create. It felt as if their souls stepped together in a dance, twisted in a tryst, and then melded together into one being. Josie realized then, as if she had somehow known her whole life, that it wasn't that their souls had always been seeking one another. It was that they had shared one soul that was trying to become whole.

Hope was literally the other half of Josie. They were not soul mates, they were twin flames. They were so much more than simple friends could ever be. They were more than either of them could ever be with anyone else, as they were absolutely meant to be as one.

And it took Hope's wolf to make the puzzle pieces fit. Hope's wolf was the deepest part of Hope, her instincts, her desires, her very own subconscious. And with Hope's subconscious unleashed within Josie's, it was inevitable that they would discover their unity.

Josie understood then what had to happen. The connection, though already solidified, had to be manifested in a visceral way. Josie knew Hope had to mark her. She could also feel the tension and anxiety within Hope's wolf to do so. The animal had an instinctive drive to claim what was hers and to make sure that everyone would be able to recognize their bond as being undeniable and unbreakable.

It wasn't sexual. It wasn't even romantic. It was pure destiny.

Josie slowly reached towards Hope with one hand, letting her fingers glide through the silken snowy mane of the creature, while her other hand reached back to her own hair and swept it out of her neck and to one side. She then bowed her head and lowered herself further, allowing Hope access to the smooth stretch of the back of Josie's neck. When Hope bit her, it was firm but not at all painful. There was no blood and no bruise. Instead, though the pattern seemed like a typical canine bite, the spots where Hope's teeth had imprinted upon Josie's skin glowed in a soft blue hue.

Soon after Hope gently licked over the spot and pulled back, allowing Josie to ease her body into an upright position once more. Their eyes met again; stormy brown sunk into brilliant gold, then gold became stormy and brown started glowing, to the point that there was no difference.

They were one.

Finally the wolf brushed up against Josie affectionately and she wrapped her arms around the animal, hugging her around the neck and burying her face in the silken fur. The wolf then pulled away and started trotting off further into the woods. Josie instinctively knew it wanted her to follow. They travelled silently for a mile or two, Josie drifting along with a full and burning heart just behind her wolf companion.

Hope.

Hope was hers. And she was Hope's.

Josie had no need to verbalize any emotion in the moments between them. Every feeling was simply intuitively understood.

Finally they reached a set of stone ruins. It was a small circle with what was left of beautiful stained glass at the back of a concrete slab that could best be described as some sort of altar. There were the remains of corridors leading outward, the walls broken down to no taller than Josie herself. She slowly moved from one end to the other, observing her surroundings carefully as she let her fingertips run along the cool stone.

Then she saw her.

Finally.

Hope!

She was stunning even in statue form and Josie could not help but drift closer to her, hypnotized by the small smile etched into the smooth stone lips. She could imagine those deep pools of blue staring into her soul and she longed so desperately for them to do so. She stepped before the statue and tentatively lifted her hand to place her palm gently against the stone cheek of the girl.

The stone shattered; the statue crumbled to dust at Josie's feet.

Her heart stopped.


	10. Reunion

Josie woke up with a start, shooting upright and heaving with anxiety.

She quickly glanced around her and found that she was in her bed in the room she shared with her sister. There was light streaming through the windows, though she knew very well it was evening the last time she was conscious. She was in full-blown panic mode, images of Hope crumbling to dust still fresh in the forefront of her mind.

She threw the blankets from her sweat-soaked body and jumped out of bed. One more feverish search around the room with desperate eyes, which revealed nothing out of the ordinary, and she shot out the door with determination.

Her first stop was Hope's room. She didn't bother knocking. She didn't even consider it, as she threw the door open with a wave of her hand – the magic nearly knocking the slab of wood off of its hinges.

Hope's bed was empty. The spot the sleeping tribrid had occupied for weeks was now void of any sign that she had even been there.

Josie shot from one end of the room to the other, searching for any sign of Hope, but coming up empty handed.

She flew out of the room once more and down the steps, around the corner and to her father's office.

"God damnit!" Alaric nearly fell off his chair as the heavy double doors that lead into his office flew open violently, crashing against the wall on either sides, as his daughter stormed in with tears streaking her face. "Josie! What the hell!"

"She's gone, dad!" Josie's arms flailed as she choked on her words.

"Who? Who's gone? Baby, calm down…" He stepped around his desk and reached for her tentatively, but she was skipping across the room, pacing, before he could even lay a finger on her in comfort.

"Hope! Dad! I saw her in my... I found her…" Josie started crying, struggling to hold back her anxiety-ridden emotions. "But she… Oh god…"

"Jo calm down!" He reached for her again, gripping her shoulders to get her to just stop and look at him, pain etched onto his face as his heart broke for his little girl.

"Dad, I don't…" He quickly cut her off before she could sob out another syllable, pulling her tightly against his chest.

"She's fine. Jo, she's awake. She came back around early this morning." He sighed deeply and cursed inwardly at himself, figuring he should have been with Josie when she woke up, or at least have had Lizzie stay with her.

Josie stopped breathing and pulled back to look up at her father's caring eyes while quickly and angrily wiping the tears from her own. "What? What do you mean? Where is she? Is she okay?"

Alaric lead his daughter to the nearest chair and allowed her to sink into it and relax, before he himself stepped back to lean against his desk. "She's fine. A little confused and dazed, but she's normal. She has a lot to deal with, I guess. She went out for a run."

"I need to find her." Josie said immediately and stood from the chair, but was quickly pushed back down by her father's firm hand on her shoulder.

"She's running in wolf form. You're not going near her right now." He arched his brows in warning.

"Dad…I have to." She whined irritably, but Alaric wouldn't budge, shaking his head at his daughter.

"Tell me what happened. In your subconscious. I had Jade hammering on my bedroom door in the middle of the night due to a werewolf bite!" He uttered in frustration.

"Oh my god, Jade! I forgot!" Josie felt terribly guilty when she was reminded of the vampire and how she had gotten herself pumped full of venom and nearly had her arm torn off from trying to help Josie. "How is she?" She asked sincerely, her stomach suddenly feeling a little queasy.

"She's also fine. Took Hope's blood, healed up fast enough. I'm not sure where she is right now…" He shrugged and then crossed his arms in front of his chest. "So tell me what happened."

"She wanted to help me find Hope, so she took the conscious me into my subconscious so that we could search together." Josie started, brows furrowing soon enough. "But Hope found us first. Well, her wolf did, and she attacked Jade. Jade left immediately."

Alaric's eyes grew a little wider with concern, his heartbeat picking up at the thought that Josie was left alone with an aggressive werewolf. He silently urged her to continue her explanation.

"Then… the wolf lead me further into the forest, until we reached a set of ruins." Josie casually skipped over the part where she and Hope had forged an inexplicably deep bond. She figured now was not the time. "I found Hope there – she was a statue. Stone. I touched her." Josie sucked in a deep breath and held it for a second longer than usual, making sure not to break into tears again at the memory. "But she just crumbled. And that's the last thing I remember before waking up."

"Interesting…" Alaric eyed her, his blue eyes always easily reflecting his suspicion. His gut feeling was telling him there was something his daughter was neglecting to mention, but for now he would not press the issue. "Well, you must have fallen back into an unconscious sleep state after that, allowing you to only wake up some hours after she did. It might have been the trauma you experienced in that moment." He sighed then and allowed his hands to slip into the pockets of his trousers. "What I don't get is why she finally woke up at that moment. Any ideas?"

Josie had a theory.

"I don't know, dad. I'm just glad she's back." She ran her hand impatiently through her hair and slowly stood back up, trying not to seem too eager in front of her father. "Can I go for now? I want to talk to Lizzie." She lied.

Ric nodded and moved upright completely from where he was leaning against his desk. "Jo, just give Hope time. She needs it. You'll probably see her soon."

(…)

"Damn right I'll see her soon…" Josie mumbled as she carefully meandered through the back woods of the school property. There was no way she was going to wait to see Hope. She simply couldn't. Not only had it been weeks since she was able to look into those beautiful blue eyes or hear that sweet-sounding voice, but the tug she felt inside her to find and be near Hope was undeniable and could not be ignored.

It didn't take too long of her searching before she saw the flash of white swiftly moving between the trees. Josie's heart soared immediately as the wolf approached and she slowly eased out a soothing sigh she had been holding in while anxiously searching. She could sense the excitement within the wolf at seeing her as well. It bounded towards her playfully and upon reaching her she quickly spun around Josie in repeated circles. Hope brushed tightly against Josie as if to transfer her scent onto the witch, then nuzzled her nose into Josie's neck. Werewolves were somewhat larger than the average wolf, so Josie didn't need to bend down much in order to wrap her arms around the stunning creature. It was officially one of her favorite feelings in the world – being able to slide her fingers through the silky fur and hiding her face within the fluffy mane. The playful affection felt heavenly to both of them as they simply soaked each other in, no questions asked.

After a few minutes of physical bonding, the wolf trotted off in the direction of the old mill and Josie happily followed. The witch watched as the wolf slipped in underneath a blanket that had been bundled up to one side, and when her head poked out the other side it was a head full of auburn hair, messy and wild from the transformation. After wrapping the blanket around her body to secure her modesty, Hope spun around and skipped towards Josie.

Wordlessly, Josie wrapped her arms around the shorter girl in the tightest embrace she could muster, Hope undeniably happy to simply sink into the younger girl's arms with a sigh. So they stood for an eternity and saturated the atmosphere with the effervescence of their divine connection. Eventually, and reluctantly, they pulled apart, allowing brown to meet blue as their eyes sparkled at one another, electricity crackling in the air between them.

"Hey…" Josie finally whispered with a goofy smile, while Hope gave her one to match as she answered in the same manner. "Hi…"

Destiny never felt so right.


	11. "You Smell Like A Wolf" Part II

"Ya know, most people would run the other way when they see a wolf." Hope smirked at Josie.

The two girls were seated bundled up against each other on a bench in the old mill, talking easily and catching up. Hope remained wrapped up in her blanket, not having bothered to find a set of clothes to re-dress herself after transforming back into her human form. Josie was happy to lightly shawl one arm around Hope's back over the fluffy material. It reminded her of the softness of Hope's fur between her fingers.

"But it wasn't just any wolf. It was you." Josie answered in turn, her gaze soft as it was cast on Hope. She could see every luminescent speck encircling the iris of the other girl's eyes and felt like she could spend an eternity counting each and every one of them.

"And you're not scared of my wolf at all?" Hope frowned, yet there was a curious smile on her lips as she looked back at the younger girl. She felt…touched, somehow. She couldn't quite explain it, but somewhere deep in her chest it meant the world to her that Josie held no fear or any other ill feelings towards her wolf. It was just so easy and so often that werewolves were labelled in a negative light and described as aggressive monsters.

"Should I be?" Josie shook her head, almost incredulously, then added in question, "Why would I be?" Something nagged at the back of Josie's head. She was confused, and rightfully so, as she thought. It was Hope's wolf that initiated the bond between them, and made it official. Why on earth would there be any sort of aggression from the wolf that Josie would need to be fearful of? This seemed strange, to say the least.

Hope shrugged and shook her head almost imperceptibly. "I try to stay away from everyone. I can't always control my wolf." She then averted her gaze and chuckled, but the sound was more bitter than humored. "I almost killed Landon when I came across him in wolf form. Besides you and my dad, he's the only other one who has seen my wolf."

The elephant in the room was utterly imposing in that moment.

Landon.

"Hope, I…" Josie started, but Hope quickly shook her head and wiped away the moisture that had started to accumulate in her eyes.

"I knew he was gone, you know? I don't quite know how or why… but when I woke up, I just knew." Hope uttered the words softly and with confusion.

Josie was very well aware of how Hope knew. She had told her while she was sleeping. It was that revelation to an unconscious Hope that caused her subconscious wolf-self to disappear in the forest of Josie's mind for nearly a week. That whole week she had felt like dying due to Hope's complete absence. But she knew Hope was grieving and that she had to do so. Now it seemed like it had helped, as Hope was more composed when speaking about her deceased love.

The fact that Hope was not aware of any of this at all, however, once again bothered Josie. There was something disturbing mixed into the vibrations of the air around them that the witch just could not quite place her finger on, but it was starting to make her heart drop slowly.

"Can I ask you something?" Josie finally spoke again after a small eternity in silence where they both simply stared into the trees in thought, the sun slowly setting behind them. Hope slowly came back from her reverie and turned her gaze back to her companion, nodding. "What is it like when you're in your wolf form?"

Hope paused and looked down at the ground, clearly searching for the right words to try and accurately depict what it was like to be a wolf. "Well… It's amazing." She sighed happily. That would always be her first description. "It's so liberating. It feels like there are no chains, literal or metaphorical, in the world that are strong enough to hold me back – to chain down my spirit." A broad smile crept across her lips as she spoke and Josie couldn't help but follow the beautifully curved lines as they stretched further, enthralled by their exquisiteness. "It is like the deepest part of my soul is set free to just… be everywhere at once." Hope giggled, seemingly giddy as she relived the feeling in her memory. "Does that even make sense?" She asked when she refocused on Josie, seemingly amused.

Josie just smiled softly back at Hope. Even without the verbal and overt description, the feeling perfectly matched what Josie had thought. It also described perfectly how she herself had felt when she was enraptured by Hope's wolf every time in her subconscious. It was a feeling that she could only describe as pure magic.

"And what about, like, memory? Or conscious awareness? How much can you control when you're a wolf? And how much can you remember?" Josie eventually got around to refining her question to what she really wanted to know. She needed to figure out how much of what happened in her mind-forest was Hope, and how much was Hope's wolf.

Hope thought for a moment, searching for a way to best explain as much as she herself understood. It was something that had always been a bit of a mystery, even for werewolves themselves. "Well, how much do you know about Freud's personality theory about the id, ego and superego?" She arched a brow at Josie, whom just shrugged in turn, so Hope continued. "Well to really simplify it, we each have these three aspects to our personality that are constantly vying for dominance over our psyche. There's the id, which is like the deepest, most intuitive part of yourself. The id contains your deepest desires, your unspoken fears, your base instinctual needs, and so forth. The id is always out for instant gratification."

Hope paused for a second to make sure Josie was following her, and when she nodded, the tribrid furthered her explanation. "Then there's the superego, which is like the opposite of the id. The superego is always striving for the greater good. It's the little voice in the back of your mind that tells you when something is wrong, or when you shouldn't do something because it might be damaging to someone else. It's your conscience, essentially. The superego will always sacrifice your needs for the needs of others. And it loves putting you on guilt trips for just about anything."

Josie smirked, then nodded again to urge Hope to carry on. "Then finally we have the ego. The ego is the aspect that is basically just your conscious self. The ego is the one that has to strive to create balance between the id and the superego. Your conscious self, your ego, is the one that says – I know you need money, but stealing is wrong. Rather ask politely for the money you need. Or work for it and earn it in an honest manner."

Josie chuckled at her companion and arched a brow. "This psychology lesson is really fascinating and all, miss smarty pants, but what does this have to do with you and your wolf?"

Hope laughed and shook her head at the jest. "Okay okay. So think of it this way then – I'm the ego; the little voice in the back of my head is my superego; my wolf…"

"Is your id." Josie finished for Hope and the older girl nodded.

"My wolf is all about instinct. It does what it wants and it takes what it wants, whenever it wants." Hope's expression seemed to be one of guilt as she admitted to this, and yet there was an excited gleam in her bright blue eyes that contradicted her expression otherwise. Josie figured this must be what Hope meant about the different aspects always vying for dominance and yet having to strike a balance. She understood that Hope enjoyed her wolf and the fact that it did not understand the meaning of 'NO', but she also knew that Hope's conscience wouldn't just allow her wolf to run rampant like that when it could cause damage if it did.

"So, how do you control your wolf?" Josie asked softly, trying to start piecing the puzzle pieces together in her head of what exactly it might have been that had happened in her subconscious with the wolf.

"Well, the id is completely unconscious. It's actually quite amazing – the id is made up of all the basic building blocks that makes us who we are: our wants and needs and fears and aversions and preferences and desires and delusions… It's the very essence of who and what we are, but it's all subliminal. We're mostly not even aware of any of it, and yet it will influence our behavior to a vast degree."

Hope took a deep breath, her fingers twisting the edges of the blanket she was holding tightly around herself. "The ego stretches across both the conscious and subconscious, though it mainly functions in the conscious, it can access the subconscious to a certain level. When I'm in my wolf form, I can be completely conscious – I can be in the ego-state while I'm wolfed out. But I can also switch it off, almost like a vampire can switch their humanity on and off. I can choose to be conscious in my wolf and then I'm in full control. Then I can also choose to just let the wolf take over completely and…well…lose control."

Hope sighed deeply, fidgeting some more as she tried to get down to the nitty gritty of the whole operation. "When I switch off and the wolf takes over, then as much as I can't control what it does, I also can't really remember what it does. Vague images here and there, some sounds, some smells… but nothing anywhere near concrete. When I'm conscious in my wolf I can control and remember everything."

Hope glanced up to Josie who was both clearly fascinated by the older girl's explanations and hanging on her every word. Hope could not help but admire how beautiful Josie seemed in that moment right then. There was something so child-like in her curiosity and so absolutely pure in her search for answers. Yet…her eyes…those beautiful chocolate eyes just seemed so unbearably sad…

"The other thing is also that the longer I stay in my wolf form, the more my ego-state falters and my consciousness starts to slip away. The longer I'm in wolf form, the more wolf I become." Hope added finally, tentatively.

That's when Josie understood it all. When Hope turned to stone, her ego was frozen as well and her wolf took over. She was in her unconscious wolf state for weeks on end. Her wolf was acting out on every basic instinct that Hope had and Hope herself knew nothing. It was only once her wolf felt like it had been satisfied that Hope was able to revert back to her conscious ego-state.

The realization was painful. Oh, so incredibly, brilliantly, beautiful. But oh, so very torturous…

"You don't remember much from while you were asleep, do you?" Josie almost whispered in question, afraid to hear the answer even though she was already anticipating – and dreading – it.

Hope shook her head, then her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open, her one hand shooting out towards Josie's arm. "Please don't tell me I hurt you!" Hope knew she'd never be able to forgive herself if she hurt Josie in any way, yet little did she know how much she was doing it at that very moment without even realizing.

Josie quickly shook her head and covered Hope's hand with her own, her head bowing low as she fought back tears and swallowed hard. She couldn't tell Hope what happened. At that very moment she wasn't even sure whether it really happened or not. Maybe the whole bond creation was just another figment of her own subconscious playing tricks on her. Maybe it was a dream.

"No, but you did kind of almost kill Jade…" Josie chuckled a bit bitterly.

"Oh god I heard… I'm so sorry." Hope bit her lip and retracted her hand from Josie's arm, though she immediately and inexplicably missed the contact. She wanted to reach out to Josie again. She wanted to pull Josie into her arms and hold her. She hated how dour Josie sounded and how broken she looked. Something within Hope just…cracked, at the sight and sound. She couldn't quite fathom the feeling.

Josie shook her head quickly. "She's fine, I'm sure she'll understand. I'll talk to her."

"So…" Hope smirked, but for some reason, as she uttered the following words, she instinctively felt like she'd rather snarl instead. "You and Jade?" Something was immediately profoundly restless within her. Her wolf felt ridiculously angry at the thought and Hope had no idea why it would be.

Josie herself wasn't expecting the quip and it caught her completely off guard. She stuttered nonsensical syllables and blushed. Hard.

Hope smirked, trying her best to keep her incisors from growing as she could feel them itching at the front of her gums. She leaned into Josie and hugged her with one arm as she quickly said, "It's okay. You can tell me another time when you're feeling more comfortable."

Hope was about to pull away when a certain very distinctive scent caught her attention in Josie's neck. She paused and allowed her face to linger in the crook between the witch's throat and shoulder and inhaled deeply. "You smell like…" She huffed again, not moving her face away from next to Josie's cheek. "Like a wolf…"

Hope knew it was not her own scent, despite the fact that she had brushed up against Josie when she first saw her. This scent was different. It was original. It smelled of innocence and obscurity all at the same time.

She slowly pulled away and locked her gaze with Josie. Josie gasped softly, but felt a certain warmth flush through her chest, up her neck and across her cheeks at what she saw.

Hope's eyes were glowing brightly. Her wolf wanted out.

"I… I have to… go run…" Hope stuttered, confused. She felt like an excited and uncomfortable pup rolled up into one nervous bundle of pent up energy.

It took Hope about 5 seconds to leap from where she had sat next to Josie, as a human, to hit the ground running on all four paws, kicking up dirt and leaves as she shot in a white flash through the trees. Her chest ached as she held onto her consciousness. Her head near-pounded in confusion at the tumultuous feelings coursing through her veins. She just had to run, had to place some distance between her and Josie, had to shed the weight she felt pressing down heavily upon her shoulders. So she ran…and ran…and ran.

Instinctively Josie understood why Hope had to run, even if consciously she was struggling with it. She stood slowly and stepped forward as Hope swiftly weaved through the trees and out of sight, though Josie continued to watch, staring into the darkness, with a dark and intense golden glow to her own eyes…


	12. Crossing Wires

"Raf, hey…" Hope was on her way to her last class of the day as she passed Rafael in the corridor, quickly pausing and taking him by the arm as she turned around to face him, her blues a baby soft hue as they observed the taller boy. They had not really had time to talk since Hope made her return and she felt like she owed it to the other wolf to share the mutual grief they were experiencing.

"Hope." Rafael grinned in that lopsided way he tended to do whenever he was faced with the tribrid, his feelings towards her never quite having diminished, though he was firm in the decision that he would not really dare act on them. Hope had been his brother's girl and he would carry that knowledge and the accompanying guilt with him for a very long time.

"I'd ask how you were doing, but…" She smiled sadly at him and he simply nodded, the both of them understanding the implication of her words.

"Yeah, but you – you must have seen some shit while you were… ya know…" He waved his hand in some sort of attempt to better explain where his words fell short, but it was easy enough to understand.

"Yeah, well…" Her voice wandered off unwittingly.

Some ways down the corridor, between all the bustling bodies of kids trying to get to their classes, Hope could spot Josie approaching, quickly distracting her, though she tried to respond to Rafael in time as best she could. It was just that Josie was so… magnetic. Hope observed as russet locks cascaded over her one shoulder, like a dark chocolate waterfall flowing into the milky skin exposed just above the collar of her white blouse.

"It's a little…" She continued, swallowing at nothing, barely glancing up at Rafael before her eyes darted back to the siphon. Josie had some books clutched to her chest and her face was creased in thought. Her rosy lips pulled easily into a pout deeper than the one she sported naturally and it caused Hope's heart to clench tightly, squeezing the air right out of her lungs.

"Complicated…" She exhaled, breathlessly. The ambiguity in the single uttered word was not lost on her. The truth was that ever since she had woken up, she had felt that something inside her had shifted. She felt it most prominently whenever she was around Josie, and she found that the younger girl was flitting across her mind more often than she usually would. Her heart seemed intent on skipping a single beat whenever Josie's face flashed through her memories, or the sound of her voice, or her flowery scent… It reminded her of the boisterous emotions that flooded her whole body during the brief period she had had a crush on Josie when they were younger.

Hope didn't understand it. She really had no clue what to make of it all.

"Well, would you like to talk about it?" Rafael asked gently, softly clutching Hope by the elbow as he looked on in concern.

"Yeah, we definitely need to talk. Maybe after class?" Hope forced her gaze back to him and smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah I need to run." He smiled in return. "See you later."

Hope gave a small wave as he walked off, then couldn't help but risk one more glance back at where she had seen Josie.

She clenched her jaw as her blood suddenly felt frozen in her veins at what she saw then.

(…)

"Jade, oh my god, are you okay?" Josie quickly stepped up to the vampire when she saw her in the hallway, not having had the chance to talk to her yet since their joint trip into her subconscious. "I'm so so so sorry, god, I didn't mean for you to get hurt like that!" Josie strung her words together at an alarming speed as Jade watched her wide-eyed, opting to simply wait for the witch to stop rambling before she answered. "I should have known you could get hurt, I should have warned you! You know, I just, I never should have even – "

"Jo! Hey! Calm down!" Jade finally cut her off as she raised her hands to rest on the shorter girl's shoulders, grinning broadly at her. The vampire couldn't help but feel warmth flush through her body at the sheer adorableness of Josie Saltzman.

"I'm just…" Josie sighed, absolutely guilt-ridden at the part she played in Jade's shave with death. "How can I make it up to you?" She asked sincerely, her voice small and her beautiful doe eyes so big and round and glistening with emotion. Jade honestly felt like she might faint on the spot.

"Well it's not like it was you who bit me." Though Jade would not mind such action in the least. The unbidden thought caused a blush to spread across her cheeks. "But I'll tell you what…" She softened her voice and gave one step closer to Josie, her hands drifting from the tops of the girl's shoulders gently down her arms. "Have dinner with me."

(…)

"Meet me in the gym after class, okay?" Hope had managed to catch up with Rafael just as he was about to enter his classroom, grabbing him rather forcefully by the arm and tugging him aside.

"Wanna work out?" He asked, confused, but she quickly confirmed with a determined nod.

"I need to blow off some steam and I'm afraid I might break Dr. Saltzman's bones if I sparred with him today." She clenched her teeth again, especially as she had to utter that surname. "You up for it?"

"Better bring your A-game, Mikaelson." Rafael grinned at her before disappearing through the doorway.


	13. "I DID WHAT?!"

Sweat dripped from Hope's brow as she crouched down, though her intense focus never wavered from her opponent.

Rafael aimed a low kick at her. She shifted out of the way and grabbed his leg, her own swinging low beneath him.

The leg on which his weight rested gave way and he hit the gym matt. Hard.

Hope stepped back, heart pounding. Rafael planted his hands above his shoulders and catapulted himself back into a standing position.

He grinned at her as he took an offensive stance, his eyes glowing.

One corner of Hope's lips arched arrogantly. Her own eyes went up in golden flames.

(…)

It had been a long and intense sparring session between the two wolves that saw both of them flat on their backs, heaving, by the end of it. Hope welcomed the burn of her muscles and the rapid expansion of her lungs. She could feel the tingle of rushing blood spread through her extremities and it made her feel alive.

She had desperately needed the workout to clear her head.

"Are you okay?" Rafael asked her breathlessly after a few minutes as they both just lay on their backs, staring at the high ceiling of the gym.

"No. Are you?" She almost snorted cynically.

"No." Rafael himself chuckled darkly in response.

"It wasn't your fault, you know." Hope finally said softly after another few long minutes, as if reading her companion's mind.

"It sure feels like it was." Rafael's response was barely above a whisper.

"It was all on the Necromancer. He's the only one to blame here." Hope sighed. "But I understand how you feel. If I had just been… I should have…" She trailed off thoughtfully, unable to string the right words together.

"No, it wasn't your duty to save him or protect him. He was a tough guy. He could take care of himself. It's just… How could he have known it would come from me…" Rafael's brow creased in deep, emotional lines.

"It wasn't your fault." Hope repeated once more, with emphasis. "And when I find this guy… He will pay for what he has done." She set her jaw tightly at the thought of the gore she'd like to wreak upon the monster.

"I think we all feel that way, Hope. But he's all jacked up on dark magic now. I don't know how any of us can take him on." Rafael was just as eager to rip the Necromancer apart, but his sensibility reminded him that it would be a near impossible battle.

"We'll find a way…" Hope whispered and sighed, her head lolling to the side so that she could glance over at her friend.

Rafael rolled over onto his stomach and lifted himself up by his elbows, watching her in return. "So, how about you tell me about that long nap of yours. What was that like?"

Hope shrugged as she raised her brows in response. "Honestly, I can't really say much. I remember talking to Josie, telling her she's strong enough to defeat the darkness. But after that…" Hope waved her hands, palms up, indicating that she didn't have much more to add. "Things went black. I remember vague images of running through a forest in my wolf. I remember smelling Josie. I think she was with me at some stage. But the images are all random and nonsensical. I really have no idea what happened."

Rafael frowned at her and then raised one brow high up as he stared down at the girl. "You don't even remember biting her?"

Hope cringed. "Jade? Yeah I don't, but I heard all about it. I should probably apologize…"

Rafael shook his head then. "No, I mean Josie. You… oh damn, maybe I wasn't supposed to say anything."

Hope's eyes went wide as she shot upright in shock. "I did what?! Oh my god! She swore I didn't hurt her!" She quickly started scrambling to her feet, the urge to find Josie and beg for forgiveness overwhelming her in the moment. She needed to see the damage she inflicted. She needed to check if Josie was okay. She needed to make it right again. She needed…

"Hope, chill!" Rafael was quick to stand up with the scurrying girl. "You didn't hurt her, relax." When she cast confused and stormy pools of blue at him, he sighed and rested one hand on her shoulder in a calming and comforting gesture. "Look, you just nipped her hand. She barely had a bruise." He let his hand drop slowly when it seemed like she would stand still and listen to him rather than combusting with panic. "She just said… She said it felt like you were trying to mark her."

So much for not panicking. Hope took a step back, dazed and utterly shocked and confused and completely astonished all at once. "I DID WHAT?!" Her eyes were comically large, much like saucers, and her jaw slack as her mouth dried into a desert.

(…)

Hope stormed up the stairs and down the hall, searching for the correct numbered door. When she found the twins' room she didn't even bother knocking and simply threw it open without warning. "Where is she?!" She spat out desperately when she saw that the only person in the room was the blonde Saltzman twin, lazing on her bed with a magazine.

"Well hello to you too." Lizzie oozed out the words with her typical brand of sarcastic venom dripping from the syllables. Unbothered, she simply cast her eyes back down to her magazine. "I don't know. She's out with Jade I think."

Hope froze, closed her eyes, and silently counted back from 5 in her head.

"What's wrong with you?" Lizzie paused her reading as she watched the tribrid, starting to feel a little… curious, but not all too concerned.

"Nothing. I – " Hope spun for the door but quickly stopped again before she stepped through it, wanting to run off. She inhaled deeply and closed the door instead, then turned to the blonde witch. "Did you know that I bit her?"

"Whoa! I do not need to know about your sexcapades with my sister, Mikaelson!" Lizzie's hands flew into the air as if trying to stop Hope from talking and block out some sort of mental image that was thrown at her.

"Wha… Lizzie, no! What the…" Hope's cheeks burned red-hot as she felt like her brain might short-circuit. She started pacing the room. "Raf told me that I bit her. That my wolf bit her while I was knocked out."

"Ooooh right. That." Lizzie rolled her eyes and lazily stretched out on her side on the bed. "When you marked her, you mean."

Hope instantly stopped pacing and violently swung herself around to face the witch, her arms shooting into the air as if she was drowning and flailing for help. "I did not mark her!" She squealed.

Lizzie arched one perfectly manicured brow, clearly unconvinced. "Why else would you bite her then?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet tone, trying to further provoke the obvious alarm and discomfort that had enveloped the tribrid.

"I don't know!" Hope continued to flounder. "There could be many reasons! This isn't fucking Twilight Lizzie! Wolves don't just go around imprinting on people!"

"Reasons like… she tried to take your chew toy away from you?" Lizzie grinned mischievously. "Besides, who said anything about imprinting?"

"I… I don't…" Hope did a perfect impression of a goldfish and it made Lizzie grin like the Cheshire cat.

"Is that even a real thing for you wolves? Marking? Imprinting?" Lizzie asked and rolled onto her back, stretching out like an indolent cat would. "Because if it is, that's kind of… romantic."

Hope finally plopped down on Josie's bed opposite Lizzie and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know…" She mumbled through her fingers, defeated and frustrated.

There was a lot that she could say about how she felt and what she thought, but Hope didn't want Lizzie to be the first to hear it. She wanted to try and explain how, despite the heartache and the loss she had experienced, she had never felt so alive as she did after returning from Josie's subconscious. She wanted to explain how whenever she saw Josie there was a warmth that spread through every fiber of her being. She wanted to talk about how when she looked into Josie's eyes it was as if she could see all the constellations that ever existed in the entirety of the universe, and how even though the vastness of it all was overwhelming, there was no doubt deep in her soul about where she belonged. Her soul itself felt like it was vibrating in her chest whenever Josie came near her, and how when she was away all Hope could feel was a sickening void. How was she supposed to even understand it herself when there were no fathomable words to describe the longing for Josie her wolf forced through her whole existence in every second of every minute of every hour.

None of this was comprehensible to the tribrid. The only thing she knew for sure was that she was terrified.


	14. Interruption: Part I

"I'm not even kidding! He leaned in for the kiss, eyes closed, and I just… I ran!" Josie was laughing as she shared a funny childhood story with Jade, who was grinning from ear to ear as she couldn't seem to remove her eyes from the witch walking beside her.

They had been dropped off at the gates of the school by their transport a few minutes prior and were leisurely strolling through the gardens as they chatted. There was still a little bit of time left before curfew, so they milked the moments they had together before having to say goodnight. While Jade was on cloud nine, having pulled out several tricks from her hat to keep Josie entertained and impressed during the evening, Josie herself was rather chipper. She had been, without a doubt, enjoying her time with the vampire. They shared several interests and had a fair amount in common. When they chatted, their words came with ease and the silences, though short and far in between, never felt uncomfortable.

Josie couldn't lie about it – she liked Jade. She really did like her, and she could picture the two of them spending more time together. Jade made Josie feel lighter somehow, allowed Josie to simply just be whoever she felt comfortable with being in the moment, and let Josie shed some of the burdens she usually had weighing down on her. It didn't hurt that Jade seemed to think Josie was hilarious and laughed at her every stupid little joke and gesture. She honestly just made Josie feel good.

"So how long did it take him to notice you were gone, do you think?" Jade grinned at her companion as she tried to imagine a panicked Josie bolting at the first time a boy tried to kiss her.

"I don't know, but Lizzie said he had looked pretty heartbroken when he realized." Josie pouted at the memory as if she now felt bad for what she had done back then as a mere 12-year old kid.

Jade slowed their pace a little as they started rounding the building to the back entrance by the kitchen – the preferred portal for Salvatore School teenagers trying to skim some time off of curfew on school nights. "I would have been pretty heartbroken too." She teased as her voice dropped a little lower and she turned to face Josie, her one hand reaching for the witch's as she slipped her fingers through their counterparts, entwining the digits firmly.

Josie blushed hard as she looked down at their entangled hands, that familiar flutter spreading through her stomach again. Being with Jade was just so easy, so simple, so relaxed. She had no idea what was really going on between her and Hope, especially with Hope not even being aware of the fact that there was a Josie-Hope situation even to start with. Why couldn't the siphon allow herself just a little bit of happiness?

It didn't have to be serious.

It didn't really have to mean anything big in the greater scheme of things.

Jade was right there, with her. Completely with her. While Hope was off doing god knows what.

Josie lifted her eyes to those of the vampire. She had beautiful eyes. They were such a steely blue that they almost seemed translucent.

She unwittingly wet her lips as she then glanced down at Jade's mouth.

Jade took the hint. She leaned into Josie. Slowly.

Josie could feel the warmth of Jade's breath on her skin.

Suddenly they stopped dead in their tracks with fright.

There was a loud and deeply threatening growl coming from a few feet away. Both Josie and Jade snapped their eyes to the side where they could see an extremely aggressive white wolf snarling at them, made to look even bigger than usual as her fur bristled and stood on end. The usual golden glow of eyes had a near red tint to them as they focused on the vampire with unbridled fury.

It was what seemed like a mere split second before the wolf lunged at Jade and there was no doubt within Josie's mind that this time Hope would definitely kill the vampire.

The witch stepped in front of Jade, bursting with anger and frustration herself – "NO!" She shoved her hands in the wolf's direction and a blast of magic threw the animal onto its back with a bit of a squeak. The wolf was up again in two seconds though, not about to be deterred that easily.

"Hope. Andrea. Mikaelson." Josie growled out, her eyes illuminated by a bright golden glow. "Don't you dare!" She pointed her finger at the wolf, almost as if she was scolding a naughty puppy. Hope stopped dead in her tracks when she absorbed the clear display of dominance from Josie.

"Sit!" Josie barked and the wolf whined like a naughty youngster, but sat down anyway.

"Jade, you better go. You know what can happen." Josie didn't dare take her shining eyes off of Hope as she spoke to the vampire that was still standing behind her, a little dazed. And a little turned on, to be frank. "I'll sort this out." Josie's words were curt and firm, though the tone she had adopted was rather for Hope than it was for Jade.

Hope whined and yelped again in protest, but didn't dare move as the vampire disappeared inside the building.

Once Josie heard the door click shut behind her, she stepped closer to the wolf and crossed her arms angrily over her chest, judging the animal with her eyes still supernaturally illuminated. "You can't just go around trying to eat my friends the whole time, Hope!" The wolf moaned and yipped, then flopped over onto the ground comically and rolled onto her back. Exposing her fluffy tummy to Josie, she wriggled around like a worm as she continued to whine. A very sorry worm.

"No, Hope. That's not going to work. I'm really mad at you right now!" Josie ground out between her teeth, her eyes finally darkening into their normal rich coffee color. She sighed in agitation and dropped her hands to her sides.

Wolf-Hope rolled her body back over and leopard-crawled towards Josie until she was laying at her feet, continuing to whine and whimper apologetically all the way. She then pushed herself up into a sitting position once more and brought a paw up towards Josie, yelping a little.

Josie could feel her resolve start to crack, but she remained firm as she ignored the paw and instead placed her hands on her hips. "You need to go change. Now. You can come find me when you've regained your ego-senses."

Josie arched one brow as she stared the wolf down, making sure it understood exactly what she wanted, and when it reluctantly got up and started trotting away, Josie finally let out a deep sigh, shook her head, and headed inside.


	15. Interruption: Part II

Hope hesitated for a minute as she lifted her hand towards the door. It was late. It was past curfew already and most of the dorm rooms were cast in silence. But she couldn't let it go. She had to talk to Josie.

She had tried to occupy herself with homework after her chat with Lizzie, and when that didn't work she ended up taking the world's longest – and hottest – shower to try and relax. When that still didn't do anything for her, she knew there was nothing left but to wolf out.

Now she was back from her run, convinced that Josie had to be back by now from her venture with Jade, and Hope knew she would not be able to get a wink of sleep until she sorted through some things with the witch.

So, she knocked. Softly. Just in case.

In fact, she could swear that her heart was beating louder than her knuckles against the wood of the door.

She could hear some indistinct muttering coming from inside and feet shuffling across the floor, then the door cracked open to reveal Josie's creased brows and near-black eyes. She was clearly very tired.

"I'm so sorry, I woke you. We can talk tomorrow." Hope tried her best not to stutter like a nervous underclassman talking to a senior, but she was somewhat failing at it.

"No, it's fine. I was waiting for you." Josie spoke softly as she slipped through the door and gently closed it behind her. "Lizzie is sleeping though."

"Wait, what?" Hope paused, confused. "You were waiting for me?" For some reason the idea of Josie Saltzman 'waiting' for Hope in any shape or form made the tribrid's stomach do a little flip. She, quite honestly, loved the idea – even if she didn't quite fully realize it.

Josie inhaled sharply and lifted her hand to wipe down her face in frustration as she realized that Hope wouldn't remember anything that had just happened. It had become very easy very quickly for Josie to discern the difference between full-blown wolf Hope, and conscious wolf Hope. "Never mind…" She muttered and leaned tiredly against the wall with one shoulder. "What did you want to talk about so urgently?"

"I was worried. Raf told me that I had bit you… your hand…" Hope explained with concern lining her features. "I thought you said I hadn't hurt you! Jo, you should have told me!" Her voice got louder for a moment before she remembered where they were and swallowed down at the emotions building up in her throat.

Josie couldn't help but roll her eyes, though a small part of her tingled at the fact that Hope was so worried that it was such a big deal. Josie felt a little flattered. "You didn't hurt me, Hope." She smirked then, as if she knew a secret that no one else did – which was, in fact, the case. "I don't think you could hurt me even if you wanted to." There was definitely no chance of Hope physically hurting Josie and she knew it. Conscious Hope wouldn't even hurt Dark Josie when everyone knew fully well that she was capable of it. Wolf Hope was bonded to Josie, and even though conscious Hope had not quite caught up to that fact just yet, the wolf inside her was very aware of the universal truth that Josie was her entire world…her very existence.

"I… uhhh… Raf also said that… ummm…" The stuttering started again from the auburn-haired girl. Josie watched her intently, wondering for a second if Hope Mikaelson had always been this cute. "Raf said… you thought I was… marking… you…?"

Josie felt like her stomach contents pushed up into her esophagus and expanded, before dropping again into the pit of her abdomen. "Wha… well, I, uhh…" She swallowed hard in discomfort as she tried to figure out how to deal with the subject. She didn't feel ready to talk about the bond. It was something so powerful and intense and personal that she wouldn't be able to bear trying to explain it to her when Hope was clearly not ready for it yet. Josie knew that Hope had her own journey to take to discovery, so Josie would allow her to do so on her own terms and in her own time.

That and trying to explain something she still wasn't sure was real would be utterly mortifying.

"Is that even a thing?" Josie squeaked and blushed, deciding to play stupid in the end.

Hope stared at her for a few long seconds, then cracked a brilliant smile as if she had just caught on to some hilarious joke – the sight made Josie flush with appreciation. Hope didn't want to burst out laughing, but she chuckled softly either way. "Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe it's just some stupid werewolf trope."

Josie chuckled with Hope, albeit somewhat more uncomfortably. Josie knew that Hope had not marked her because she's a werewolf. It was certainly deeper than that. It was a unifying soul-experience that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they were supernaturals.

"Did you ever hear the tale of the Greek gods and the original humans?" Hope smiled softly, not wanting to leave Josie's side just yet. She leaned her shoulder against the wall in a position that mirrored Josie's and allowed her sparkling eyes to settle on the dark swirls before her. Even in her pajamas and with her hair tied back out of her face, Hope thought that Josie was just so incredibly beautiful. Hope blushed lightly as she openly admired the witch before her, while telling her story.

"So, at the beginning humans looked very different than they do now. They had four arms and four legs on one joint body, and one head also, but with two faces. Every human was a duality." Hope made sure to keep her voice soft and low as to not attract any attention from people that were not quite asleep yet behind the walls of the hallway they were standing in. "But Zeus and the other gods, realizing how powerful humans were becoming, started to fear them." She paused and moved imperceptibly closer to Josie as she cast her eyes downward for a few seconds, then continued. "Out of fear, but not wanting to kill off their worshippers, the gods decided to separate each human into two bodies."

Hope leaned a little closer still, especially when she could hear Josie's breath hitch in her throat. She looked up at the taller girl and was met with nothing but sincerity and understanding. Josie knew exactly what Hope was getting at, and it caused both their hearts to burn with a sense of both longing and fulfilment.

"We are not individual souls searching for our mates." Hope whispered, her hand tentatively traveling to Josie's, allowing just her index finger to curl around the other's girl's finger, hooking onto her, unable to further ignore the persistent nagging in her chest to get closer to the other girl.

"No…" Josie interjected at the same slow pace of talking that Hope had adopted – not interrupting Hope's story, but rather finishing it for her. "We are only half of one soul, always searching for harmonious completion."

"They call it Twin Flames." Hope whispered, her lips now a mere two inches away from Josie's. The pair had been drifting closer and closer by the second as they conversed, unknowingly, as if the whole universe was working to push them together – which it actually was. "And so, physically we will always feel the burning desire to build unity through oneness…with our twin flame…" At these words it was as if though both girls had slipped into a trance-like state. Hope further slipped her fingers between Josie's and started pulling her closer.

"And spiritually, we will always feel a longing to merge with one another once more…" Josie tilted her head and brushed the tip of her nose along Hope's cheek. The electricity between them literally crackled and showered them with invisible sparks.

They were Lightning and Earth, the one shooting towards the other with indescribable power and intention. When Josie opened her eyes to glance at Hope an inch away from her, the witch's eyes were lightning yellow. When Hope's gaze met the witch's, her own eyes had a deep burning copper shining in them. Hope was the sturdiness and the strength of the earth that would absorb Josie's violent storms and defuse their devastation. It was exactly what she had done with Dark Josie already before. It was Hope who broke through to Josie in the rink first, and Hope again who championed Josie's success against herself inside her subconscious.

Hope was Josie's rock.

Just then the door of the twins' room swung open. Josie should have known better than Lizzie being able to resist eavesdropping, even though she was supposed to be sleeping. Josie was plucked from her pensive state and didn't even get a moment to do more than wave helplessly at Hope as she was yanked into the room. The door shut almost completely, leaving just enough of a gap for Lizzie to glower at the tribrid in the hallway. "Not tonight, Wolfie!"

The door slammed in Hope's face, snapping the tribrid out of whatever strange pool of infatuation she had been swimming in with the dark-haired twin. She couldn't explain their connection. She couldn't explain the unfathomable desire that drew her physically towards the siphon. She couldn't explain the inexplicable yearning she felt for her whole being to amalgamate together with Josie's. She couldn't even start to understand the rapid beat of her heart, or the sweat on her palms, or the instability in her knees.

And she definitely had no idea why she had trouble not thinking about ripping Jade limb from limb.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N – "Shadow" by Birdy. Do it. This chapter made me fall in love. I hope it does the same for you guys.**

Hope slowly wandered along the beaten pathway that curved and twisted along the bubbling brook, enjoying the soothing sound of the water as it ran over rocks and sifted through pebbles. It was night time, but somehow it wasn't quite dark. A luminous full moon lit up the sky and cascaded soft blue light all through the forest. In between the trees and plants, the small flickering lights of fireflies could be glimpsed as they danced around in the warm breeze.

When she reached a massive weeping willow standing proudly by the side of the stream, she took a moment to pause and gather in the beautiful sight all around her. In a sort of half circle around the tree was a clearing filled with soft undergrowth and an array of small flowers. Hope leaned against the tree and allowed her eyes to wander the peaceful setting, breathing in nothing but sweet-scented air.

She hadn't felt at ease in so long that she had almost forgotten what it was like. Her emotions over the past few days after waking from her long slumber were an absolute jumble. She had felt such intense sadness over Landon's death. He was supposed to have been that epic love that her mother would talk about. He certainly was her first, but their time had been cut heartbreakingly short. She would still wonder for a long time what could have been between them. Would he have been able to grant her the semi-simple and sort-of normal life that she craved? Would he have been able to re-establish her trust in people, or remind her what unconditional acceptance and love was like? Would he have been able to grant her the faith she felt she had lost in most of humanity?

Alas, the 'what-ifs' were nothing but dried up words, like leaves having fallen from the trees in autumn. They would seem pretty at first, alluring even, but eventually they would crumble to dust.

Then there was Josie…

For the life of her, Hope simply could not put into mere simple words what exactly was happening between her and the witch. Of course, she had experienced fumbling and emotive reactions to Josie before when she had briefly found herself experiencing feelings for the younger girl some years ago, but nothing quite like what was busy happening in the present. It seemed like every single day that passed only served the single purpose of drawing her closer to the siphon, and she had no say in it.

Under normal circumstances, Hope knew she could easily have fallen in love with the girl; Josie was sweet and kind and smart and strong and absolutely beautiful. And just so many other wonderfully expressive adjectives! Hope could write poetry about Josie. Hell, she could paint her a thousand portraits – each one more breathtaking than the last.

As she considered these "normal circumstances" and how quickly her feelings seemed to escalate into the stuff that sappy romance novels were made of, Hope quickly realized and had to admit that these were most definitely not "normal" circumstances. To try and explain these newfound emotions she felt for Josie through the use of words like "love" just seemed dull and insincere. What she undeniably felt for Josie was not love – or, if it was, it was most definitely not your average every day kind of love. To even compare what she was starting to feel grow and twist and blossom inside of her to the concept of "epic love" that she was supposed to have shared with Landon was even insufficient and demeaning.

This… whatever it was… it was all just so much more than mere mortal language could even describe. Deep within her soul she could feel that she was made for Josie somehow, and that Josie was made for her. Deep within her soul she could feel the puzzle pieces fall into place whenever Josie was near her. And when they touched… it felt like deep within both their souls there was an astral combustion of metaphysical proportions, interlocking their lives in transcendental significance.

She knew that when she had told Josie the story of the Greek myth of twin flames – as hard as it was to comprehend this – that it had not quite come from Hope herself. It was almost as if Josie had reached into Hope, right inside her heart, right into her soul, and retrieved the notion from deep within her. It was as if her words were Josie's words. It was as if tough her feelings were Josie's feelings. And it worked the same the other way around. Every single time Josie's heart gave a beat, Hope could feel it inside her own chest. Every single time Josie drew a breath, Hope could feel it spreading oxygen through her own veins.

Somewhere off to the outskirts of the clearing a twig cracked, ripping Hope from her reverie. It caused her gaze to snap towards the sound and focus sharply, even in the dim light. She could see the glowing copper eyes staring back at her through the darkness. The rest of the wolf's body was like a shadow – fur thick and black as night itself.

Hope was startled, but instantly intrigued. She wasn't afraid; she could sense she didn't need to worry.

The wolf slowly inched along the outside of the clearing; gaze locked with Hope's own with every step of every paw. It seemed to absorb the sight of the tribrid with curiosity.

Hope carefully moved closer, slowly walking from her spot against the tree to the middle of the clearing; her fingertips brushed along the flowers growing up to her thighs. She was painfully aware of every one of her senses in that moment and every single signal they rippled through her nervous system. The crickets chirped in rhythm to the swishing of the wolf's tail. The same breeze that ruffled its fur caused the hairs on Hope's skin to stand on end.

The atmosphere was charged with an exceptionally primeval energy.

Finally, the wolf stepped into the clearing and towards Hope, allowing the girl to fully take in the magnificence of the stunning creature as its ebony fur shone in thick wisps in the ethereal light of the full moon. Hope's breath caught in her throat even though her chest felt like it was expanding into eternity.

She dropped to her knees before the animal.

The wolf lowered its head and allowed the scent of the earth underneath them to fill its nostrils. It seemed to huff at the air, then sniff, and then slowly approached the tribrid.

Once it reached Hope, it lowered itself before her and gave one low whine while its ears fell back onto its head.

Hope's heart skipped a beat for what felt like forever as recognition set in.

Josie…

She knew she had seen those eyes before. She had seen them flash brightly at her when they so nearly fell into that kiss outside the witch's room. But how was this even possible? Was this really happening? Was this a dream?

All Hope really knew in the moment was that she was being drawn into an unbreakable connection with the wolf-girl before her. There was no fighting the sheer magnetism between them and absolutely no hint of a desire to even try.

She lifted her hands to Josie's face and raked her fingers back through the thick black mane, letting them dig themselves into the silken fur of her neck as she silently kept their eyes locked on one another. Then, once she could feel the sheer warmth and joy radiating from the wolf rush over her, Hope closed her eyes and bowed her head, allowing Josie to do the same and press her forehead against the tribrid's.

The connection established in that second was explosive as it expanded throughout the entirety of the universe. Every atom of Hope's existence morphed into Josie's existence and back again, as if they shifted in and out of each other's bodies – as if their souls reached into the other and just… fused together into one otherworldly entity.

Hope knew somehow that she had experienced this moment before, and thus instinctively knew what to do next. She lowered her head before the wolf and swept her auburn hair from her neck.

When Josie marked her it sent a jolt through her entire being. Her excitement coiled inside of her like a spring that was about to shoot loose.

Within seconds Hope's clothes fell in shreds to the ground as she shifted, her spirit bursting forth from within her.

They stood, nose to nose, Josie the Yin to Hope's Yang, both in the denotative and connotative sense.

From tip to tip, they finally allowed their faces to brush into one another, burying their noses in each other's necks, deeply inhaling the other's scent and life essence itself. They brushed tightly up against each other, shoulder to shoulder, allowing themselves to sink into the pure ecstasy of oneness.

They were home.

After a few long moments of sinking into the significance of their bond, they started lightly whining and yipping at each other playfully. Josie gave a high-pitched bark and pawed at Hope's muzzle, causing Hope to playfully nip at Josie in return, catching the tip of one ear gently between her teeth. This led to Josie throwing her weight into Hope, as if trying to knock her over, but then quickly sprinting away. Hope was soon in hot pursuit as they bound excitedly through the trees and remained at each other's heels.

The ran together for the rest of the moonlit night, as if though they had been doing it their whole lives, and would be doing so for the rest of their life together as a reunited singularity.

When they grew exhausted, they fell into the soft grass of the clearing and curled up together amidst the flowers, all while the slowly setting moon watched over them. They would take a few lazy minutes to groom at each other, licking one cheek here or nibbling behind another ear there. When they lay their heads down to sleep, Josie let hers rest on top of Hope's, allowing as best they could that their blood pulsated together in the same rhythmic beat set by their hearts.


	17. Jealousy

Josie woke up with a start, gasping and breathless. She could almost feel the ache in her muscles. She could almost still smell the rich earth beneath her paws.

Her brow creased as she stared off unfocused into space.

Paws?

She sat up in her bed and slowly lifted her hands in front of her as if to make sure that she was, indeed, human. She turned them over and over again, struggling to comprehend the very tangible experience she had had during the night.

She could remember it all – stalking through the woods until she found the most beautiful clearing. Then she saw her – she saw her twin flame – and her heart felt like it could burst from joy. She remembered the bonding moment between them and marking Hope in the same way Hope had marked her. She remembered them running and being free together, then curling up into a hot mess of fur and limbs to sleep off their exhaustion.

It was the best night of her life.

Yet here she was, unaltered, and no indication that it had really happened. Could it all just have been a dream? Or was there more to it?

All Josie knew was that it didn't feel like it was just some fleeting fantasy. It was all just far too intense to have been a mere flight of fancy.

(…)

It was only first period and Hope was already over it.

No matter how much she tried she just simply could not focus on her schoolwork. Who cared about Shakespeare when you felt like you had spent the whole night before entangling yourself in the most significant relationship that could ever exist? The flashes of her and Josie running together as if nothing else mattered were still fresh in the tribrid's mind. The memory of the moment Josie had marked her and claimed her in such a corporeal way still caused her heart to flutter and her stomach to do loops.

"Miss Mikaelson?" Hope's eyes snapped to the front of the class. Mr. Crane, the English teacher, was asking her some sort of question about thematic jealousy in Othello, but she honestly had no idea what he had even said.

"What was that, sir?" She gulped and tried not to notice all the curious eyes cast her way from the rest of the class.

"Pardon me, miss Mikaelson, but is there somewhere else you desperately need to be at the current moment?" Mr. Crane cocked his head to the one side in that annoying habitual way he did when he was about to make some snarky comment. Hope simply shook her head, demurely, and waited for it.

"Then could I perhaps suggest being more present during my lesson? I don't much enjoy teaching inanimate objects." He huffed and turned back to the board, then started a discourse on how unfounded jealousy bred a sort of monstrous paranoia that would continue to feed the growth of the jealous feeling itself. In other words, Iago was a dick and Othello was an idiot. She already knew that.

From the corner of her eye, Hope could spy Jade and Wendy sitting on the other side of the classroom. How annoying that Mr. Crane would embarrass her for being distracted when the other two girls were having a full-blown gossip session in their corner of the room with no reproach from the teacher. Hope narrowed her eyes as she watched Jade's steely pair sparkle like someone had shattered the stars and sprinkled their dust within those orbs.

Wendy spoke a few words and Jade grinned like the cat that got cream.

Hope raked her nails down her desk. Hard.

She had to know what they were talking about.

If only she had her vamp hearing. Unfortunately, her hearing was only as keen as the average wolf's. It did help, however, having a vampire friend nearby.

Hope discreetly leaned forward onto her desk and tapped at Kaleb's shoulder. By the looks of it, Kaleb was nearly put asleep by the current lesson himself, as he slowly craned his neck around to look at her with foggy eyes. "What?" He mouthed, a little irritably.

It would be difficult to talk and relay messages back and forth as Mr. Crane was still droning on about the "green-eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on". So, Hope opted for note writing – the witchy way.

She softly muttered an incantation beneath her breath as she held her pen in hand, then as Kaleb watched her, she wrote the word 'Hi' on the page in front of her. She motioned for him to turn back around to his desk, and when he did, he found that her writing had transferred to his page. Kaleb, suddenly curious, quickly drew a hand pointing its middle finger at the onlooker onto his page and grinned as he looked back to see that it had transferred to Hope's page.

'Don't be an ass. I need your help.' Hope quickly wrote to him and he simply replied with a question mark, encouraging her to explain.

'I need to know what Jade and Wendy are talking about. Can you vamp for me? Please!' When Kaleb glanced back at Hope after reading her message, he could clearly see the hint of sadness and desperation in her baby blues. He wasn't fond of the idea of eavesdropping on a fellow vampire, but he did share a certain camaraderie with the tribrid that could not be overlooked.

He gave Hope an expression that would inform her that he didn't like the idea, but that he would comply. He then casually angled his head and stilled the room around him, allowing his hearing to hone in on the two girls. As they spoke, Kaleb would scribble their words down on the page in front of him as best he could, allowing Hope to read their conversation on her own paper.

'So you kissed her?'

'It was so close. I will next time.'

'When's the next date?'

'Hopefully soon. I'll ask her at lunch.'

'Then it won't be long till Saltzman is putty in your hands.'

'Oh she'll be in my hands alright.'

'All night long?' *giggles*

Kaleb stopped scribbling notes abruptly when he heard Hope snap her pencil in half behind him. He glanced back to see her eyes glowing, his own going wide at the display.

"Hope! Wolfy eyes! Calm down!" He whisper-shouted at her to try and get her to take it down a notch before anyone else noticed.

Too late.

Hope heard the whispers around her from two or three students who had noticed and they spoke in concern. No one here has seen it before, but just about everyone could image what a raging and very powerful tribrid would look like. It was understandable that a lot of kids would be afraid of her.

"Oh god, the tribrid is malfunctioning again." Clearly Jade wasn't one of them, even though she was the vey one that had the most to be worried about.

Hope immediately jumped to her feet and locked her glowing eyes with the vampire. The quick movement sent her chair scraping over the floor and slamming into the desk behind her before tipping over. "Do you have a problem with me, Ripper?"

"What did you just call me, Mikaelson?" Jade gritted her teeth and stepped forward, seemingly ready to lunge at Hope any second. "You have already tried to kill me. TWICE, I might add. And you want to call ME the ripper?" The vampire sneered dangerously at Hope.

Hope faltered.

Twice? Goddamn her wolf!

"Well it would seem a certain side of me has a bad feeling about all of you!" Hope knew she couldn't back down now, even though she honestly, deep down, felt like she should.

"It seems like a 'certain side' of you needs a fucking muzzle!" Jade spat, not in the least bit concerned that Hope's eyes still had that unholy glow to them.

"Oh yeah?" Hope snapped at that, her wolf starting to claw its way out of her chest. Or at least that's how it felt to her, and it was taking every ounce of her willpower to not let it burst forth. "Why don't you come over here and say that to my face!" She growled loudly with her incisors starting to protrude and shoved a desk aside that was lingering between her and the vampire, causing it to crash loudly into the other furniture beside it.

At this point the whole class was up and on edge as they watched the exchange. Some of them were nervous at the carnage that could come from an actual physical altercation, while others eagerly whispered their bets to each other on who would walk away the victor. Somewhere in the background Mr. Crane's croaky voice could be heard, but no one cared.

"The only reason I won't destroy that face you're talking about right now, is because I simply don't want to upset my girlfriend by ripping out her best friend's eyes!" Jade chuckled in some sort of cheeky display of a challenge.

Of course, as soon as she heard the word 'girlfriend', Hope lost it. She jumped at Jade with her claws out and ready to go for the Vampire's jugular, while Jade herself was ready to rip a hole straight through Hope's chest and remove her heart.

Neither of them came even close to accomplishing their goals as within seconds they were both slumped over on the floor, then passed out immediately afterwards. At the door stood a wide-eyed Dorian with a dart gun in either hand. "At least I still got good aim."

"At least you shot the right creature with the right poison." Emma was next to him, patting him on the shoulder before squeezing past him and into the classroom. She surveyed the mess and sighed. Her instinct was right when it was nagging at her for the two of them to return.


	18. Bad Girls!

"I can't help but feel a little freaked out, dad." Josie sighed as she slumped down into the chair, her twin sister occupying the one next to her as they sat facing their father.

"But how cool would it be if you were a hybrid?" Lizzie chirped and waved her one hand around. "It's like being a Heretic, only less bloody!" Her eyes went big then as she realized something and grabbed her sister's arm with both hands. "You wouldn't need to siphon magic anymore!" The prospect clearly excited the blonde, though her expression turned sad within a second. "Damnit, I want to be a hybrid too!"

"No one is a hybrid, Lizzie. Calm down." Alaric sighed and scratched his head.

The family had spent the past half an hour discussing elements of the dream Josie had experienced the previous night. Josie had explained to them how, when she became aware, she was in wolf form. She explained the full moon and running through the woods. She mentioned Hope being there. She did not, however, give detail on the bonding, once again feeling foolish about it and feeling that it was too personal to discuss just yet.

"What if there is more to it? Dad, there will be a full moon soon. What if…?" Josie trailed off, shivering at the thought of the pain she might have to endure if she had miraculously become a hybrid.

"Sweety, it's just not possible. Wolves are born; they can't be made – just like witches. You either have the gene or you don't. I can't see any possible reason how or why you would suddenly have the wolf gene." Alaric tried to allay the fears he could see creeping over his daughter's features. However, he had been around the supernatural long enough to also realize that there was a lot that seemed impossible that were not. Until 18 years before the notion of a witch-werewolf-vampire tribrid was unthinkable, and yet now Hope Mikaelson very much existed.

"What if Hope's powerful enough to create wolves through biting them? She bit Josie!" Lizzie exclaimed, trying to be helpful but not really adding too much value to the discussion.

"She didn't even break her skin. I highly doubt it." Ric shook his head, unconvinced.

Josie looked panicked. She knew she should tell them. It could possibly help them solve the puzzle. That's if there was a puzzle to be solved. She knew that right now everything was mere conjecture and there was a very good chance that she was still just a simple Gemini siphoning witch and nothing more. She would rather wait it out. She couldn't even imagine having the bonding conversation with Hope herself, much less having it with her father!

"Just… Do you think it's at all possible that something happened while Hope was in my head? Could she have somehow transferred the curse to me?" Josie spoke in a low and careful tone, thoughtful of the possibility of such an occurrence.

"I don't know baby." Ric sighed and stepped towards his daughters, placing a hand on each one of their shoulders. "But I don't want you to stress about this. Everything will be okay. Your sister will stick close to you in case anything strange happens, and in the meantime, I'll get Kaleb and MG back in here for some research, okay?"

Lizzie turned her big blue eyes towards her sister and leaned closer as she reached for Josie's hand. "I swear I won't let you out of my sight!"

Josie swallowed. Hard.

Just then, as if saved by the bell, there was an insistent knock on the office door. "Come in!" Ric called out.

"Hello Alaric, it's good to see you again." Emma grinned at the man as she entered the office and also cast a kind smile at the twins. Dorian had reunited with Alaric earlier upon their arrival, when they negotiated the terms of the pair's return to the school.

"Emma, always a pleasure." Alaric smiled genuinely. He was so happy to have them back that he would have agreed to anything. "And welcome home. Have you already thrown yourself into work?" He asked with a questioning arch to his brow as he tried to see past her to the two students clearly occupying the space behind her.

"I'm afraid I have…" Emma sighed in slight amusement as she stepped aside and gestured for the two girls to enter the office. Alaric and the twins stared in confusion and surprise as they watched Hope and Jade saunter in like naughty children, both of them clearly having had their wrists bound together by a spell, as if tied with invisible ropes. Emma liked to err on the side of caution.

"These two disrupted Mr. Crane's English class by starting a fight." Emma explained as her gaze moved from Ric to the two offending girls, "And I do mean a real, physical fight."

"What?!" Josie choked out. "Who won?!" Lizzie squealed.

"Girls, out, now!" Ric instructed his daughters to leave as he pointed to the door.

"But dad…" Lizzie moaned, not wanting to miss the action. Her whining gave Josie a silent moment to switch her gaze between Hope and Jade repeatedly. Her cheeks were burning hot with irritation, though her eyes were watery with concern. Both girls cast their eyes to the floor, clearly ashamed to be caught in such a compromising situation before the object of their affections.

"Now!" Alaric raised his voice authoritatively and successfully shooed his twins from the office, the doors closing behind them.

Once outside, the twins lingered. "I don't know about you, but I want to hear this!" Lizzie whispered to her sister and nodded her head towards the doors. Josie didn't need much convincing. The two witches joined their hands, while they each placed their free hand on the closed doors. Whispering a few words of magic, they shut their eyes and focused on the voices that they could now hear inside the office.

"What he hell, Hope? I do NOT expect this kind of behavior from you!" Alaric rumbled at the tribrid, then shifted his gaze to the vampire next to her. "And you, Jade, you were already on thin ice! I allowed you back under strict conditions! This does not help your cause!"

Both girls suddenly started talking at the same time, each one trying to pin the blame on the other like petulant children. Alaric raised his hand to quiet them. "I don't want to hear it! From now on, unless I ask you to speak, you shut it down!" To say that he was furious was putting it mildly. He then glanced over to Emma, silently encouraging her to fill in the blanks for him.

"Apparently…" She started, carefully choosing her words as she spoke. "Hope's wolf got a little… restless during class. Jade made a comment that Hope felt was provocative and the issue escalated from there." She explained gently.

"She said I was malfunctioning! How is that not provocative?!" Hope raised her voice harshly.

"You called me a ripper!" Jade spat at Hope.

"You ARE a ripper!" Hope shot back and Alaric just about had a fit.

"Shut! Up!" He shouted loudly in frustration to stop the bickering, then sighed deeply. He had to somehow get to the bottom of the issue between the two girls or he could foresee many more problems in future.

"Hope, why was your wolf on edge?" He looked sternly at the tribrid.

Hope froze. She, obviously, knew exactly why.

"I don't know. I don't want to talk about it." She muttered under her breath, begging the gods that Alaric would just drop it.

He, of course, wouldn't. "Hope." He said in that annoying tone of voice he adopted whenever he knew that she was lying to him.

"Class was boring, okay?" Hope smirked and shrugged, still unwilling to come clean.

Alaric looked back to Emma, again encouraging her to elaborate on what she knew. "It seemed that Hope was eavesdropping on a conversation that Jade was having with her friend." Emma paused at this, a flash of uncertainty shooting through her eyes.

"About?" Alaric asked after a few long seconds of silence.

Emma bit her lip as she watched the girls. "About… Josie."

Alaric blinked rapidly. The girls both seemed to huff and shift uncomfortably, but remained silent.

On the other side of the door Josie's eyes shot open in surprise and utter mortification, while Lizzie's jaw dropped and her mouth curved into a comical 'O' shape. She was delighted at how juicy this was turning out to be, her gaze focused sharply on her furiously blushing twin.

"They were fighting over you!" She grinned broadly as she whisper-shouted at her sister.

Josie was not amused in the least.

"She made a lewd comment about Josie! I was just defending her honor." Hope raged in her own defense, hoping that the way she phrased it might get Alaric's attention off of her and onto the vampire instead.

"By wolfing out?!" It didn't work, Hope realized quickly as Alaric threw his hands up in frustration. "In the middle of an English class? Hope! Are you crazy?!"

"And it wasn't lewd…" Jade muttered defensively, though it was already too late.

"Detention with Dorian, mandatory therapy sessions with Emma, and if you two as much as look at each other in a slightly aggressive manner I'll suspend you both! Got it?" Alaric demanded with authority as he squared his shoulders, towering over the two students. "Dismissed… For now." He groaned in agitation as he turned his back on the girls, allowing Emma to escort them out of his office.

The twins scrambled away from the doors just before they could open and tried their best to look inconspicuous as they hung around outside. Emma scowled at them, but then gave a sort of mischievous grin before she walked off, letting all four girls be for now. Once she was out of range, both Hope and Jade found that they could move their arms freely again.

The long, silent minutes were palpable as the four girls simply stood uncomfortably around each other, no one sure of what exactly to say.

"So…" Lizzie started and the other three automatically cringed inwardly. "Who won the fight?" She smirked at the other two.

"No one." Hope rolled her eyes. "Dorian darted us before anything could happen." She then lifted a hand to the back of her head, rubbing gingerly as she glanced over to Jade. "And I don't know about you, but…"

Jade nodded and clenched her jaw. "Yeah, my head is throbbing too."

Josie sighed out a breath of relief. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was terribly worried that either of the two hurt the other. She also wouldn't quite admit to herself which one she was more worried about…

And then… She lost it.

It was as if all that worry and frustration just boiled over and she erupted into a frightening fit of anger, taking two steps before she was eye to eye with Jade. She pointed a furious finger at the vampire and growled as her eyes glowed a bright copper hue. "If you're going to be talking about me to your friends, you better do it with respect. I'm not your fucking toy."

Just as Hope thought she could let a deeply satisfying feeling creep up on her, she bit down on her tongue as she found Josie in her face within a second. "And you!" Hope gulped; eyes wide as Josie let that vivid storm of emotions rage within those luminous orbs. "If you ever act out like a disobedient dog again, then you and I are going to have a BIG problem. Understood?"

Three pairs of shocked eyes looked on speechlessly as Josie stepped backward and eyed them heatedly, then turned around and stormed off.

"Am I imagining things, or…" Jade frowned deeply.

"Her eyes." Hope whispered in agreement.

Lizzie blinked and blinked again, then cast her unbelieving gaze at Hope. "What did you do to my sister?!"


	19. The Wolf Wants What The Wolf Wants

"It can't be… Are you sure of what you saw?" Alaric's eyes were wide, but his brow hung low in disbelief at what the three girls were telling him.

"No, daddy. All three of us ate some bad mushrooms and now we're seeing things." Lizzie rolled her eyes at her father's obstinance.

"Look, Dr. Saltzman, there's no question about it. It's…" Hope paused and glanced at her feet. "It's not the first time I've seen her eyes do that."

"It's not the first time and you didn't think it a good idea to perhaps tell me?!" Alaric nearly shouted at Hope and she could sense his anger, causing her to wince.

"Wait, when else did you see her eyes do that?" Jade chipped in from the side, understandably also concerned about the new development regarding the girl she was seeing.

"It was after your date." Hope stated simply without looking over to where Jade was standing to her side, rather keeping her eyes focused on Alaric.

"You mean her eyes went all wolfy when you tried to kiss her?" Lizzie smirked and arched a brow at the tribrid, who very suddenly flushed scarlet at the reminder that Lizzie basically interrupted a moment between her and Josie.

"You did what?!" Both Jade and Ric spat out at the same time, though where Ric was merely surprised, Jade was fuming.

"Don't start." Hope turned towards the vampire and stated very simply and clearly. "You went on one date. You have no claim."

"And you do?" Jade's eyes turned red, veins starting to pulsate beneath them just below the skin.

Hope answered by ways of her own eyes lighting up and shining a bright gold color as she stared up at the other girl. "Maybe I do." As soon as the words left her mouth, she was shocked at herself. Since when did she actually want to stake a claim on Josie Saltzman? It was almost as if the wolf inside of her took hold of her voice and uttered those words before she could even think about it.

"Do not start! This is my daughter we're talking about, and this is a real issue we are dealing with! I need help. I need information. I do NOT need raging teenage hormones!" Ric had had enough and expressed as much as his voice boomed through the office, leaving all three girls to blink down at their shoes.

(…)

Josie leaned back against the tree with a deep sigh, her fingers digging into the grass by her sides. Somehow the feeling grounded her and calmed her rampant emotions. The tangible feeling reminded her of where her body was and helped her focus on her tactile senses in order to keep her distracted from the overwhelming storm raging inside of her chest and her head.

She had no idea why she exploded the way she had at Hope and Jade. She still could not believe that she had acted that way and said those things to them. It just did not seem like her, like something she would do or say. She was just… so angry, so frustrated, so on edge about everything and she had no idea or explanation as to why.

The only thing she had been sure of when she stormed away was that she needed time and space to just breathe and reclaim herself again. She needed to make sure that she was still herself as there was a very deep-seated fear buried within the back of her mind that the darkness had not left her completely. What else could it be?

There was something strong inside of her and it wanted out.

Soon.

(…)

"It's not working." Lizzie groaned in frustration at the map on the table between her and Hope. They had been attempting a locator spell in order to find Josie as Alaric looked on, worried.

Hope let her one hand wave slowly over the map, a feint glow illuminating her skin for just a second or two. "She cast a cloaking spell. She doesn't want to be found."

"So now what?" Jade huffed irritably from the corner of the room.

"We need to divide our efforts. We have research to do and answers to find." Alaric said as he leaned onto his desk, seemingly trying to think of a plan of action. "Hope. Go find her." He finally uttered and nodded at the tribrid.

"Why her? I can go look for Josie." Jade chirped, again irritated at the fact that she's being sidelined.

"Josie needs to be found the good old-fashioned way." Alaric simply shrugged and craned his head towards Hope.

"Which is what exactly?" Jade grunted, disgruntled.

Hope grinned at the vampire, her eyes slowly flaring up in golden flames once more.

(…)

"Yes, I know Caroline." Alaric gripped the phone a little more tightly as he stared out the window, watching the sun start to sink beyond the horizon. Behind him and all around the office there were various stacks of books – some open, some still untouched, and others seemingly nothing but heaps of crumpled parchment.

"We're doing all we can on this end to try and find the answers… Yes… I know, but I think…" It seemed like Alaric and Caroline, the very worried mother of one Josette Saltzman, were struggling to see eye to eye on some matters. Ric's helpers, each with a book or two in hand, tried their best not to eavesdrop too much out of respect.

"Look, will you please just go there and see what you can find? Freya and Keelin might know something that we don't… Yes, please… Okay, bye." He hung up the phone with a frustrated sigh before spinning around and surveying his research team. Dorian and Kaleb were seated in one corner, each scouring through a heap of books, while Lizzie and MG occupied another corner, doing the same. Emma was busy scanning through an untouched bookcase, trying to find more resource material.

Jade was nowhere to be found.

(…)

Hope sniffed the air as she stood just outside the old mill. She had just shifted after finding Josie was not in her usual favorite spot and was trying to pick up her scent. She allowed her nose to sniffle through some of the leaves and twigs and dry earth until she thought she found a whiff of something. She allowed the smell to lead her further into the woods.

Her ears flickered when they picked up the sound of water. It wasn't a lot – more like a narrow trickling; a sort of bubbling and light splashing. She could smell the damp ground mixed with sweet flowers. She allowed the scent to lead her to a small stream.

That was strange. In all of her time spent at the Salvatore School and all of her time spent running around the woods, she had never noticed a stream flowing through the area.

Then she noticed the smell of flowers growing stronger, and it was laced with a more specific sweetly scent. It was the smell of flowers and fruit and soil after the rain. It was so natural and yet so intoxicating. It guided her further along the stream until she finally reached a massive willow tree, branches drooping into the water on one side, while the other side curtained the entry point into a clearing.

(…)

Josie could immediately feel the presence approaching her.

Looking up, she was both delighted and yet oddly apprehensive to find the white wolf of her dreams slowly creeping through the swooping branches of the willow and sneaking into the small clearing. It was dusk and the atmosphere all around them seemed to glow with gentle orange light. Josie thought that it was beautiful.

"Hey…" She whispered as Hope approached her, coming to sit in front of Josie with her ears pulled back and flattened against her head. The tall grass and small flowers rustled lightly in the wind all around them.

"I'm sorry about what I said to you. It was completely out of line." Josie spoke softly to the wolf before her. She removed the coat she had been wearing over her uniform and held it out and open towards the wolf, then turned her eyes away politely.

"Well, it was a little… surprising." Hope smirked as she pulled the coat on in order to cover herself post-shift. She hadn't quite thought through the logistics of her having to speak to Josie once she found her and having to shift back in order to do so. Luckily Josie instinctively knew how to help.

"I'm scared." Josie muttered softly as Hope settled in the grass before her, both of them having crossed their legs beneath them now and sat facing each other. "I don't know what's going on with me."

Hope sighed and carefully reached for Josie' hand, taking it and gingerly holding it within her own. "We're going to figure it out. Your dad has everyone doing research. He even said he was going to send your mom to New Orleans to try that angle with the help of my aunts."

"Am I changing? I mean, like… shifting? Is it possible to become a wolf?" Josie's voice was small and unsure; so different from the commanding tone she had showed earlier when she berated Hope and Jade.

"I really don't know Jo…" Hope tilted her head and studied Josie's face. She was clearly scared and all Hope wanted to do was take her into her arms and hold the younger girl until all of the doubts and fears had subsided. Seeing the pain in those dark doe eyes made Hope's chest ache. She just wanted to protect Josie from anything and everything that could hurt her, even if it wasn't physically possible.

"God, I'm turning out to be such a freak." Josie grunted and clenched her jaw, seemingly getting lost in her self-depreciation.

"A freak? What exactly would make you a freak?" Hope frowned as Josie pulled her hand away, leaving her skin to suddenly feel cold at the loss of contact.

"A witch-wolf hybrid? There has never been such a thing! I'd be like nature's accident." Josie was rapidly growing frustrated again. She was growing restless, inside and out. She pushed herself to her feet and started idly pacing as she mulled over her own words in her head.

"Jeez Jo, if that makes you a freak, then what the hell would you call me?" Hope scoffed and stood as well, starting to feel her own sense of agitation stir within her.

"But you being a tribrid makes sense, considering your family and heritage! Me changing into a wolf with no reason or explanation… especially being a witch… it's like…" Josie started talking with her hands as she paced faster, the lines on her features deepening with emotion. "I'm like an abomination, Hope! Already the fact that I'm a siphoner, and a Gemini twin, makes me of a questionable nature. Adding a wolf into the mix – I'll be shunned!"

"You talk about being a wolf like it's the worst thing in the world. You talk about wolves like they're second-rate citizens." Hope was hurt, and it flickered through her eyes as she stood, unmoving, staring at Josie.

"Wolves are violent and unpredictable! That's not who I am!" Josie was starting to panic, her heartrate rocketing through her chest and down her veins.

"Wolves are strong and intuitive. Wolves are probably the noblest of the three breeds that we have here at the school. It's a goddamn privilege to be a wolf and I'm sick and tired of wolves getting all the bad rep!" Hope's voice escalated as she grew defensive, Josie's sudden aversion to wolves offending her greatly. And just to add fuel to her fire, Hope's eyes lit up in their – by now – well-known golden color.

Josie stopped dead in her tracks. As soon as she saw Hope's eyes, her own immediately illuminated into wild flames of copper and honey. She stared at the tribrid so intensely that it seemed as if though she could burn holes right through her.

"Do you feel that?" Hope breathed hoarsely as she took a step closer to Josie.

Josie swallowed hard, but did not answer. Her gaze never wavered from Hope's as the other girl took another step closer.

"Do you feel how hungry she is? How eager to be let out?" Hope felt like she was burning up at the electrifying connection making itself known between them. She raised her hands to Josie's shoulders and slowly slid them down her bare skin, all the way to her hands. "Do you feel the itching beneath your skin? The tingling in your limbs?" She entwined their fingers and squeezed Josie's hands, almost as if she was trying to share the physical sensations that they were both experiencing in that very moment and multiply their intensity.

"Being a wolf is liberating…" Hope whispered, now standing firmly within Josie's personal bubble and leaning into her as she continued to speak. "It's freedom that you can't even imagine…" She let her one hand slip free from Josie's and moved it up to her neck, sliding her fingers into the side and feeling their skin grow scorching hot at the contact. "Shifting is like quenching a deep desire you didn't even know you had…" Her lips whispered against Josie's ear as her fingers moved further to comb into the thick brunet tresses at the back of Josie's neck.

"What's going on between us, Hope?" Josie managed to utter softly as her own hands moved, letting go of Hope's hand in order to let both hands move up to her neck instead, cupping her jaw on each side gently, yet firmly. Josie could feel her whole body was on fire, being drawn to Hope like she had never experienced before. When their eyes had met like that it was as if their wolves wanted to dance, wanted to run, wanted to wrestle with one another. The drive to be entwined with each other had become primeval, almost like an evolutionary imperative.

"I'm not sure, Jo…" Hope sighed, the tip of her nose brushing over Josie's cheek. "I just don't…"

"Want to talk about it right now…" Josie finished Hope's sentence for her as she pulled back to find those glowing eyes with her own. Hope confirmed Josie's statement with a small shake of her head and a lopsided smirk.

Then Josie's fingers grew tight as they curled around the back of Hope's neck; Hope's own fingers tangling harshly into Josie's hair.

One deep breath, perhaps just a moment of uncertainty causing them to pause.

But not for long.

Two pairs of lips soon came crashing down upon one another in a heated kiss. Every ounce of energy seemed to shoot through Josie's digits as she tugged Hope impossibly closer, bruising the tribrid's lips with the ferocity of the movements of her own mouth. Hope unintentionally tugged at Josie's hair, causing the witch to emit a low growl within her chest. Josie bit down on Hope's bottom lip as she moved the girl backward, quickly and eagerly, only coming to stop once she was pressed up against the large tree.

Hope squeaked a bit in surprise and her eyes flew open when she found herself pinned. This was new for her. She was Hope Mikaelson, the goddamn tribrid! No one took charge over her! And yet there she was, helpless and writhing her body against Josie's as the witch leaned into her, placing the pressure of her weight against Hope's body.

It felt ridiculously good, and the taste of Josie's tongue - as it finally demanded access to her mouth - tasted ridiculously good as well.

So, Hope did the only thing she could see fit. She moaned and wrapped her arms around Josie's neck, pulling her even closer – if that was at all possible.

Josie just seemed to have taken all of the anger and frustration and irritation and fear and uncertainty and all other messy emotions she had been experiencing lately and amalgamated them into one hot, passionate mess, which she directed fully at Hope. When she pulled back briefly and checked Hope's eyes and saw that they were still aglow with her own, she was quick to capture the tribrid's lips in another deeply heated kiss, her tongue not even politely asking for entrance as she wished to taste the inside of Hope Mikaelson.

Josie felt like she was starving. And she felt like Hope was there to be devoured.

And as it turned out, Josie Saltzman had quite the wolfish appetite.


	20. Emotions

"And so, as human society developed agriculture and shifted to a more sedentary lifestyle, beginning some 12 millennia ago, people no longer had to…" Blah blah blah – it was all Hope could think as Ms. Wilson droned on from the front of the class.

Sedentary was at least right, which was how Hope was feeling regarding a certain brunette that she couldn't get out of her head.

She tilted her head down and to the side as she focused on the sketch that she was idly busy with in her notepad. It was a drawing of Josie standing in the doorway of her bedroom, one hand placed on the frame, an uncertain look in her eyes. It was an image Hope's mind had captured the evening after they had kissed.

That had been days ago.

Soon she started a new sketch – it took shape quickly as she opted for rough lines and emotional strokes. This one was an image of Josie studying in the library, her brow creased in concentration as she lost herself in the book before her. She hadn't noticed the tribrid hopelessly staring at her from a distance, feeling a familiar tingle on her lips as she watched the younger girl lightly lick the tip of one finger and turn to the next page.

Hope had been unable to approach Josie ever since the intense moment they shared out in the woods. Even after that moment she was unable to deal with the emotions swarming within her, as if Josie had kicked open a hornet's nest inside her guts. When Josie had given her half a gap, Hope had slipped around the large tree trunk. By the time Josie followed, Hope was already gone, having left nothing behind but Josie's coat crumpled up in the grass. She had of course stayed nearby to make sure Josie got back to the school safely, but she had kept her distance as to not be noticed, slinking around in her wolf form. She had caught that one glimpse of Josie by her bedroom once Hope had run herself to utter exhaustion and returned to the dorms for sleep. Josie had retreated inside the room and closed the door before Hope could even approach her.

Hope couldn't help but feel like a dick. She bet Josie hated her now. And she felt like she couldn't even blame the witch. Josie was so extremely scared of what was happening to her and Hope couldn't help but carry all of the blame silently on her shoulders. She knew that whatever was going on with Josie, now suddenly showing signs of turning into a wolf-witch hybrid, had to somehow be her fault. They still had no explanation, but Hope had bet herself that it had something to do with her fucking up somehow. How could she face Josie with all of that guilt creating an invisible wall between them?

Hope moved onto the next blank page in her notebook and started a new sketch. Her notebook was full of Josie Saltzman and she would keep adding to her collection. The new piece depicted Josie sitting by the fireplace in the lounge. This time her eyes were focused on the observer – Hope at the time – and she took great care when she drew Josie's eyes. Even in nothing but grey pencil, she was able to somehow show the glow that Josie's eyes held, especially against the fiery backdrop of the hearth at her back. At that time Hope had just walked into the lounge area, completely unsuspecting and caught off guard. Josie was staring at her with such intensity that Hope felt like she could melt under the girl's gaze. Her mouth had run dry and her throat restricted within seconds, the tribrid quickly realizing that she had to get out of the room immediately.

That, in itself, was the other problem she was experiencing. Josie made her feel a hell of a lot of things, but the one most prominent emotion that kept sinking into the forefront of her mind was vulnerability. She felt vulnerable in Josie's presence, and such for several reasons. Josie made her feel exposed, like she was wearing all of her heart on her sleeve around the witch and was allowing her to do with them as she pleased. Not that she believed Josie would ever intentionally hurt her, but it made Hope feel exceptionally uncomfortable knowing that Joie had the power to do so, especially so soon after Landon. Was she ready to open herself up to such a type of relationship and all of the pitfalls that may come with it? The thought alone made it hard for Hope to breathe.

The other reason that she was experiencing such increasingly vulnerable afflictions as of late when it came to Josie was a bit more primeval. Josie was dominating her, and Hope was honestly not sure how she felt about that little fact. She couldn't understand it, much less explain it, but there was a very distinctive alpha presence within Josie that Hope's wolf could recognize and felt obligated to submit to. Hope had never been interested in being the alpha of a pack and never thought she would be. As a tribrid, she couldn't really comfortably form part of the wolfpack at school. As a loner, she never thought she would form close enough bonds with any number of people to even consider them a makeshift pack. But the Super Squad had come close, yet with the wolf-presence within Josie it was different. A wolf would always be a wolf, and would always respond instinctively no matter what. And Hope was instinctively drawn to Josie as an alpha over her.

This was problematic for two reasons. One – she was Hope Mikaelson; the tribrid; the hero, and to submit to anyone in any way would be a far removal of her character.

Two – it caused her attraction to Josie to intensify a thousand-fold. She was drawn to that alpha quality within Josie's emerging wolf-side like a desert-dweller to a life-giving oasis. She not only wanted to drink from that pool of passion, but wanted to drown herself in it.

Simply put – she was putty in the girl's hands. And what was more – she wasn't sure she could control herself around Josie for long periods of time.

Hope sunk further into her reverie as she started yet another sketch of one of her very few encounters with Josie over the past few days. This time Josie was seated at a table with her face turned to the side and a plate of food, untouched, in front of her. It was at breakfast and Hope could remember how Josie refused to look at her all through the 20 minutes it took Hope to scoff down her food and make a hasty exit. The trouble had come when she approached the serving line and Josie was already returning from the food bank. They unexpectedly brushed past each other, and in a few seconds that felt like a small eternity, both sets of eyes started glowing as they locked gazes. Hope couldn't speak for Josie, but in that moment all she wanted to do was drop everything and let her wolf out. The severity of the restlessness inside of her was indescribable, and it was something that only happened when she was in close proximity to Josie. Everything had just stilled – the voices, the movement, the faces, everything. All she could see was Josie's flaming copper eyes. All she could hear was Josie's strong heartbeat. All she could feel was the desire to tussle with Josie's wolf, right then and there.

So even being near each other, even if it wasn't for all the other issues, would still be a massive problem.

"Screw this…" Hope muttered under her breath as she slammed her notebook shut in frustration at the thoughts running rampant through her busy mind. "Hall pass, please Ms. Wilson." Hope's whole body shot up along with her hand as she had no intention of having her request declined. In fact, she didn't even give the teacher enough time to respond before she was out the door of the classroom and quickly moving down the corridors to the girls' bathroom.

She felt flustered and out of breath, almost as if she was about to have a panic attack. Flickers of Josie and her copper orbs kept on flashing before her whenever she closed her eyes, and even when she opened them.

And then they weren't mere flashes anymore. As Hope leaned onto the basin with cool and calming water running over her hands, she had looked up and seen her standing there, in the mirror behind Hope. Hope spun around to make sure she wasn't simply imagining things again, but she most definitely wasn't.

There was Josie Saltzman, standing in the bathroom before her, eyes aglow and setting Hope's own on fire.

Hope held her breath and swallowed in discomfort, completely lost as to what to do or say.

Josie, on the other hand, simply moved over to the bathroom door… and locked it.


	21. Primeval Hunger

The words on the pages before Josie's eyes blended into a swirl of incomprehensible marks and signs as she struggled to maintain focus. She was on a study period in the library, but needless to say, there was not much studying going on.

How could she concentrate on her advanced spellcasting when she couldn't get a certain tribrid out of her mind?

Josie's cheeks burned as she thought about the intense kisses that they shared in the woods a few evenings prior. Nothing in her life had ever felt so right and so absolutely mind-blowing as when she had her lips firmly connected to Hope Mikaelson's – even Penelope and Landon became nothing but mere specks in her memory in comparison. When they had connected in the way they did in that moment, it felt as if nothing could ever drive them apart again. In fact, she felt like she would mindlessly tear apart anyone who even tried. She knew Hope was not her possession and never would be, but goddamn – she felt possessive over her in such a heated moment like that. She felt like Hope Mikaelson simply belonged to her, by order of the universe and all existence.

And then she received the cold shoulder from the tribrid all week thus far.

She felt embarrassed. She felt ashamed. She felt foolish. Could it really only have been her that felt those things? She couldn't imagine feeling such mystical passion and not having it go both ways. It simply wasn't possible – it was just too much emotion for one person to bear.

But what if it was just in her head and only in her heart? What if Hope was now avoiding her because she really didn't feel the same? The possibility was incredibly hard to swallow, but Josie knew it still existed. So, whenever she saw Hope, she'd keep her distance and allow the tribrid the opportunity to approach whenever she felt comfortable doing so.

But she didn't. In fact, whenever she saw Josie, she seemed too eager to just run in the opposite direction. This caused Josie to feel hurt, and more than that – she felt abandoned.

Josie was still terrified at what was happening to her and if she ever needed anyone at a specific time in her life, it would be right now and it would be Hope. Hope was the closest person to understanding what she might be going through and how she might be feeling. The full moon was rapidly approaching and Josie knew it was only a matter of time – if things continued on their current trajectory – before she shifted into a wolf completely. She knew she would be lost without Hope. She instinctively knew that she needed Hope by her side more than anything.

Yet she could not shake the feeling that she was making a fool of herself. Her displays towards Hope were embarrassing to say the least. How could she expect the older girl to stick by her and help her see things through when she was having emotional outbursts around every corner? First, she scolded Hope, called her a disobedient dog, then she basically attacked her with her mouth up against a tree, and then she doesn't speak to her for days! Maybe it really was her fault that Hope was not attempting to approach her. How could she blame Hope for keeping her distance when she was being such a spazz?

Not to mention the humiliation of her losing control whenever she came near Hope! When they encountered each other in the dining hall the one morning over breakfast, she thought that she might shift right then and there. The tug she felt inside her chest to be enveloped by and to engulf Hope's wolf was excruciatingly overwhelming. The wolf-presence evolving within her was completely magnetized to Hope's wolf, which there was absolutely no denying.

She had never seen her own eyes aglow, but she could feel them in that moment and knew that they were shining brightly, just like Hope's.

Which, of course, only aided in making her feel like more of a freak as this happened in front of everyone. All she could do was pray that no one had noticed other than Hope. She couldn't deal with being ostracized on top of everything else.

The other thing that was becoming increasingly hard to deal with was the fact that she and Hope, despite everything happening between them, had still not had a real conversation about recent developments. Josie was especially concerned with the fact that Hope had marked her when she was still in her subconscious, and that she had seemingly marked Hope in return when she had dreamt of being a wolf. She kept weighing back and forth between whether these events were real or not, and she was struggling to believe that they had been mere fantasy. However, she had tried to look to the back of her neck and whenever she did, there was no sign of a mark. She wanted to believe, deep down, that it was real; but reality itself was seemingly disproving the belief that the marking ever happened.

Feeling defeated, Josie slammed her book shut on the library desk and shot up, grabbing her bag and slinging it over one shoulder as she quickly marched to the door. Her feet seemed to move automatically, carrying her determinedly in a certain direction. After a few minutes she found herself in the girls' bathroom.

And what she found there made her heart skip several beats and combust into flames – or that's how it felt at least.

As soon as she locked eyes with Hope, both sets amped up their luminosity and their bodies entered their own orbit – their souls seemingly reaching toward one another.

This was the moment; the part of Josie that was still somewhat rationally functioning knew that their opportunity to clear up some things was now – or never. She dropped her bag to the side and swiftly stepped back to the bathroom door, locking it.

"Josie… I…" Hope started, feeling lost for words. She didn't think that a simple 'sorry I've been avoiding you like a coward' was going to cut it.

"Are you scared?" Josie cut her off, bluntly, coming to stand before the tribrid – not too close, but not too far either.

"I don't want to be…" Hope admitted, swallowing down a lump that was forming in her throat. How was it possible that Josie just knew? "Are you?" She asked in turn.

Josie took a deep breath as she seemed to contemplate the question, drawing closer to Hope ever so slightly. "Of the wolf growing inside me? Yes…" She took another step closer, now close enough for Hope to feel the heat radiating off of her. "Of you? Of us? Never…"

Hope took a sharp intake of air as the words fell upon her eager ears. It was what she wanted to hear – that Josie was not afraid of what was happening between them. Unfortunately, her own desires and fears just were not aligning. She frowned at Josie's admittance of being scared and let the guilt weigh in on her again. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault."

"We don't know that. You can't blame yourself." Josie shook her head and placed one hand in the side of Hope's neck, looking down at her with a distinctly tender quality to her glowing eyes. It was amazing how they intuitively understood each other without articulating every detail. It was simply profound how they were able to communicate so much even though they were saying so little.

"Something happened… inside your subconscious, that I can't remember." Hope uttered in confusion, though it was a statement more than it was a question.

Josie nodded slowly. "You marked me. You marked me first…"

"Before you marked me, in the dream…" Hope smiled softly.

"I don't think it was a dream…" Josie returned her smile warmly. "But the marks…" She frowned and moved her hand from Hope's neck to her hair, sweeping it to the side as she observed the back of Hope's neck in the mirror behind her.

Clear as daylight, the faintly illuminated blue bite mark sat imbedded in Hope's skin.

Josie's heart jumped. Hope could hear it. She could feel it.

She moved around Josie to face her back and swept her hair to the side as well to search for the mark.

It was there, and unwittingly it caused Hope to grin widely with happiness.

Seeing Hope's reaction in the mirror she was facing, Josie sighed, knowing what Hope saw on her skin. "They must only appear when we are near each other."

Josie turned around, now nearly flush up against Hope, and locked their blazing eyes back onto one another. They swore they could almost hear a slight humming sound emitted from their marks.

Their arms reached for each other with a lingering desire that needed to be quenched. Their lips drew close, but stopped just barely short of touching. When they breathed, they breathed each other, and the one could feel the very life force of the other entering them. They both suspected that the running from each other was far from over, but in that moment the universe wanted them in unison, and so they were…

When their lips finally embraced it was with the hunger that drove them from the wolves inside. This time it was Hope who had the upper hand in terms of positioning as she pushed Josie back against the counter that held three basins, her mouth never leaving the heat that it found within the brunette's. With Josie's back against the counter, Hope took hold of her hips and lifted her onto the cool surface with ease, then pushed her own body even further until she was nestled tightly between Josie's thighs.

Josie wasted no time in wrapping her legs around Hope's hips to hold her close, the burning in her chest and the agitation of her wolf driving her to tug Hope closer and hold her there by her fingers curling into the front of Hope's jersey. She repeatedly enveloped the tribrid's lips with her own, and wrestled with them ravenously.

Hope dug her fingertips into Josie's back and forcibly held her close, wishing she could somehow pull Josie within herself a she continued to make love to Josie's mouth, sliding her tongue through Josie's lips when she was offered the gap. She thought she might lose her mind when she discovered Josie's teeth tugging at her own lower lip.

The moan escaping from both of them in some melodic tune was suddenly interrupted and drowned out by a banging on the door of the bathroom.

"Hey! Whatever crisis you're experiencing in there, there's about the be a bigger crisis out here if I don't get to pee NOW!" A voice came both pleading and irritably from the other side of the door, causing both girls to jump apart and immediately start tugging at their clothes and straightening out their hair as if they had been caught.

Hope grabbed Josie by the collar and pulled her in for one more chaste kiss before silently slipping into one of the bathroom stalls, allowing Josie to splash some water on her cheeks and grab her bag before unlocking the door.

She was thoroughly flushed, and with the wet streaks now on her face, it seemed like she had been crying. "I'm so sorry." She muttered and tried to move past the other girl.

"Josie?" Oh snap.

Jade.


	22. Revelations

"Josie, what's wrong?" Jade gently took hold of Josie's am when she tried to slip out of the bathroom and past the vampire, but soon found herself being tugged back inside again.

"Nothing, really. I don't…" Josie sighed and tried to hide her nervousness as she quickly glanced towards the one closed stall door, realizing that Hope would not be able to leave until Jade does. "I don't really want to talk about it, if that's cool?" She muttered and wiped at her face and her eyes, trying both to make it seem convincing that she was crying, and to also bring herself and her burning body back to reality.

"Jo, listen. I know this past week we haven't actually spent time together, but…" Jade spoke with care in her voice, while Hope bristled behind the closed door. She hated it when anyone besides her or Lizzie called Josie 'Jo'. "I've been thinking about you… A lot…" Jade softened her eyes at Josie and let her hand slide down from her arm to the witch's hand, folding it within her own.

"Y…You have?" Josie frowned. She thought she had definitely scared Jade off after her outburst the last time they spoke.

"I owe you an apology, Josie. I was talking about you to Wendy, and you had every right to be irked about it. But I swear, I wasn't being insensitive and I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I was basically just admitting how crazy I was… and still am… about you. I really hope that maybe… even with some time… that you could forgive me." Jade was pulling out all the stops to show that she was as sincere as she truly felt. After all, her intentions towards Josie were never anything less than sincere.

Inside the stall, Hope's eyes were glowing, and Josie could feel the tension radiating from her direction. She knew she had to diffuse the situation immediately. "Jade, it's okay, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I've just been on edge lately. I promise we can talk about this again soon, maybe when I've just… figured some stuff out. About myself, I mean. Not you."

"I won't put pressure on you, I promise." Jade smiled softly at Josie and squeezed her hand. "But I'd love to make it up to you as soon as you'll let me, okay?"

Josie smiled and nodded her head, starting to pull away from the vampire. She knew the situation wasn't far from escalating. Inside the stall, Hope was already bracing herself against the door and fighting to keep her wolf in check.

"And uh…" Jade smirked as her fingertips still grasped at Josie's hand as she started pulling away and moving towards the door. "Maybe this time we can finish an evening without your guard dog?"

Essentially, Jade was joking. However, to Hope, it was a very, very bad joke.

Josie's eyes widened at Jade's comment and she set her jaw the moment she could feel Hope losing her control. A second later Hope burst out of the stall, eyes ablaze as she walked up to Jade, her entire demeanor threatening and aggressive. Jade was not expecting the tribrid to make an appearance, and especially did not expect her to have heard the comment she had made in jest. She backed up as Hope stepped toward her, but steeled herself for a confrontation none the less.

"Hope, don't." Josie warned sternly. She desperately tried to keep her eyes from glowing, but she knew she was failing miserably at it. The copper shone through soon enough as she stared Hope down.

"She called me a dog!" Hope snapped; her frustration now clearly directed at Josie.

"So did I the other day." Josie spoke calmly, yet authoritatively. Hope hated it.

"And I'm supposed to just take it? Like a good dog?" Hope flashed those hurting golden orbs at Josie, her attention now drawn away from Jade.

"We'll talk about this later." Josie uttered, her voice dropping even lower as she kept her eyes locked with Hope's.

"I think you'd better leave." Jade muttered under her breath, her muscles tense and ready to react should Hope make a move.

Hope glanced from the vampire back to Josie again, a whine sounding from her throat. "Josie…"

Josie continued to stare down at the tribrid, trying her best to force her to back off and listen. She could feel how it bothered Hope and Josie couldn't quite figure out whether it drove her desire to have Hope submit even further, or whether it was making her feel guilty. The power-play between the pair was palpable.

"Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson – Principal's office please." Alaric's voice sounded over the intercom system just outside the bathroom, interrupting whatever was about to come from the stand-off inside of it. Josie gave one last glance to Jade, but waited for Hope to exit before she followed her down the hall to her father's office.

Hope didn't look back at her once. And it ached inside because of it. She could feel Hope's emotions as if they were her own, and above all the frustration and anger she could feel how hurt Hope was. Hope had expected her to stand up for her against Jade and she didn't. It's not that she did not want to, but she knew that if she had the situation could have blown up to the point that saw both Jade and Hope suspended or expelled. Josie had to stop the growing tension, and the only way to do that was to insert herself in the middle of it. She had to challenge Hope. She had to keep her in check.

"Sit down." Alaric motioned to the girls as they entered his office, trying to read his expression. He seemed both lost and deeply unsettled, and it caused Josie's stomach to churn as she could read him like an open book. Hope noticed the tension in his jaw and quickly started to feel very weary about what was coming.

"Did you find something? Do you know what's happening to me? Dad?" Josie rambled worriedly while Hope simply followed his movements from one side of the room to the other as he paced up and down before finally coming to lean against his desk. She could tell that he was trying to find the best way to word what was to come out of his mouth next.

"Caroline, Freya and Keelin did some deep digging in New Orleans, spoke to some wolf elders and even scratched around in the covens in the area. They think they may have found an explanation." He started and pushed himself off his desk, walking around it to pull a bottle of bourbon from his drawer and poor himself a tot. He was clearly at the point where he needed it and did not care what his underaged cohorts had to say about it.

"Hope, you're familiar with the werewolf unification ritual and ceremony, yes?" Hope frowned but nodded in answer. "How could that have anything…"

"Well…" Alaric cut her off. "There are stories of werewolves having performed these rituals with non-werewolves before, and lo and behold – their werewolf curse would transfer to their non-wolf partner."

"But we never!" Hope's tone of voice was a higher pitch than usual, her guilt mixing with her natural defense mechanism.

"Are there variations of this unification ceremony?" Josie asked softly, drawing both Hope and Alaric's attention, while her eyes settled on Hope – and within a second they were glowing once more. Hope's eyes responded immediately by lighting up as well.

Ric took a sip of his drink.

A very large sip.

"Thank you, Jo, for the question, because as a matter of a fact there are variations. A few, apparently. But there is one very sacred one. It is a type of unison that has only ever occurred a hand full of times in werewolf lore." He sighed and watched the pair closely as they watched each other with their wolf-eyes. "And from what I'm seeing right now, I think it may be our winner."

"For a very long time, unification ceremonies were completed as political moves – to consolidate power within packs and make them stronger. These matches were usually arranged and had very little to do with love. But once in a while, a werewolf's spirit would break free from the norm and seek out a mate. The one that they knew was meant for them. The wolf would mark this mate as a sort of proposal. The mate would have to return the mark somehow as a show of acceptance. It leads to an engagement – a promise of a life to be spent together."

Both Hope and Josie were essentially frozen and felt paralyzed from the waist down as they listened to the story and the explanation offered by Ric. Josie felt like there was ice running through her veins, while Hope felt like her insides were on fire and raging to come out. What made it even worse was that the two girls could sense each other's emotions on top of their own as well.

"The thing is, first of all…" Ric drawled on, swishing his alcohol around in his glass as he stared down into it thoughtfully. "Wolves don't just do this – seeking out a mate that is not a wolf. It's not a natural occurrence. It has only happened three times before in all of history – four, if you want to include the pair of you – and we are not yet sure why or what exactly leads to it. Hope's wolf sought out Josie specifically and we don't know why that is."

He swallowed the last big gulp that was left in his glass and slammed it down on the table before redirecting his unreadable gaze back to the girls. "Second of all – Josie is showing signs of evolving into a wolf, but she has not yet wolfed out. Now I don't yet know if this will happen at her first full moon, or if it means…" He paused, ramping up the suspense in the room. Hope could hear Josie's heart thundering in her chest, and Josie could hear how Hope and just stopped breathing all together. "Or if it means the unification ceremony is not complete yet – that you are only engaged, so to speak."

He grabbed the bottle of bourbon from behind the desk and poured himself another good shot. He sniffed at it idly as he watched the girls before him, making it seem like he was waiting for an explanation. "I bit Josie, in wolf form, in her subconscious. I don't even remember doing it, but she bears the mark of it." Hope tried to explain, her voice small and unsure, especially since Ric looked like he might attack her at any second.

"And then I marked Hope, in some sort of shared dreamscape. When I dreamt I was a wolf? She has the mark as well from it." Josie interrupted the murderous glare Ric was edging over at Hope. "They only seem to become visible when we're close together."

"Much like your eyes." Ric noted, gruffly.

"Yeah, we can't seem to switch those off." Hope shrugged timidly.

"Wait… so if we're only, technically, engaged…" Josie uttered and then trailed off, her eyes on Hope.

"How do we complete the unification ritual?" Hope finished her question for her, as they tended to do such things these days, How they managed to ride the same wavelength most of the time was truly astounding.

"We don't have an answer for that one yet either." Ric shrugged and finished off his drink. "So, to sum it all up: Hope got engaged to my daughter without my permission. My daughter is changing into a hybrid. We don't know why Hope's wolf wanted Josie specifically. And we don't know how to complete the ritual. – Did I leave anything out?" Ric grinned facetiously at the girls, but his icy eyes seemed to linger on Hope longer. Josie knew he was just being a protective father, which was kind of sweet.

"Now I hope you've got some hats to hold onto kids, because this is not all. And what you're about to be shown next will surely lead to a lot of screaming, crying, and possible fainting." It became clear that Ric had had more than just the two shots of alcohol that the girls saw him take.

Ric ushered them out of his office and down the hall to the stairs that lead to the lower floor, that housed the werewolf transition cells, the vampire dry-out cells, and the general cells for monsters and the like. He looked back at the confused girls one last time before stepping dwn the final set of stone steps and out of the way so that they could catch a glimpse of who was waiting for them in one of the jail cells for safety.

"Hope?!" He called out and the tribrid's whole world shattered.

Josie could feel the tears stream down her cheeks.

It was Landon.

Alive.


	23. Realizations

"H- How?!" Hope started tearing up as she ran towards the bars that separated her from Landon, Josie following close behind with her cheeks already wet.

Landon reached through the bars and took each girl's hand, squeezing in a comforting manner. "I don't really know. I just woke up, like all the other times. I didn't even know that so much time had passed. Wherever I was… there was no time." After the initial ramble of words, he paused and stared at the two girls before him in confusion. "Is there a reason your eyes are glowing?!" He asked in surprise as his gaze flickered from the one to the other.

"Don't worry about it right now. It's a long story…" Josie blinked, wishing she could blink the glow away. It remained impossible to control it as long as she was close to Hope.

"Do you think it's the Necromancer?" Hope asked worried, folding her free hand over his where he was holding onto her and relishing in the warmth she felt, reassuring her that he was definitely alive somehow.

"That's why I'm in here." Landon nodded towards Josie. "Your dad and I both realized it would be safest to keep me in here, for all of us, until we have this figured out."

Josie wiped at her damp cheeks and tugged on his hand. "You shouldn't have to be in here. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well… I could hurt someone. If the Necromancer is somehow still in control of me… using me… then I pose a big danger to everyone." He smiled softly at Josie's concern. "I'll be okay, don't worry."

"I just can't believe it's you…" Hope wiped at her eyes and smiled through her tears at the young man. Her other hand reached up through the bars to cup his cheek, her thumb wiping gingerly over his skin.

Josie felt the pangs of hurt, jealousy, fear, alarm, and concern all rumbling and tumbling deep in the pit of her stomach as she watched the exchange. She knew Landon was supposed to be the great love of Hope's life, and now that he was back… Josie felt like she was intruding on their moment. And more than that, she felt like she might break down if she had to witness any more of it.

"I'll check in with you later. I'm so happy you're back." Josie squeezed Landon's hand one more time and pulled away, briefly glancing over to meet Hope's golden eyes. As she slowly backed away from the pair, her own copper eyes started fading, though she kept her gaze on Hope. By the time she reached the door that lead to the stairs, her eyes were simply just dark and wet. She turned and disappeared.

Hope felt Josie's absence immediately, like a sinkhole that slipped through the bottom of her chest. She tried to shake the feeling and returned her attention to Landon. Seeing him, feeling him with her own hands, connecting with those steely blue eyes of his and witnessing that goofy smile of his… Hope felt her cheeks warm up as she grinned wordlessly at him. It was like wearing your favorite fluffy hoody on a cold winter's morning.

"Your eyes have stopped glowing." Landon remarked, one brow raised.

"It's really a long and complicated story that we will not be getting into right now." She chuckled and reached for his face through the bars of his cell in order to bring him closer as she moved herself to meet him. She leaned her forehead against his in the gap between the cold iron shafts and she could feel her heart beat steady and strong.

"I've missed you… so much…" She whispered as she watched him, then rubbed the tip of her nose to his, still caught between laughing and crying.

"Wherever I was… I'm sure I missed you too…" he whispered softly to her as his own hands settled on her sides, holding her as close as he could with the cell bars dividing them.

The moment was so bittersweet. Hope felt like she had everything she could ever want right in front of her. She felt like, suddenly, things were the way they were supposed to be. And yet, there was a distinct nagging feeling in the back of her mind that this – her and Landon – just wasn't quite right. It was like a puzzle piece that seemed like it should click into place, but it just didn't quite fit; like a key that could turn a lock halfway, but not finish the job.

What was the most disturbing to her was the fact that, after she could feel her wolf, exuberant and alive like never before since she woke from her long sleep… her wolf was now quiet. There was nothing stirring within her. No agitation. No excitement. Nothing.

It made her feel cold and empty.

(…)

Lizzie looked up from her magazine when her bedroom door opened slowly and stretched her brows at the expression on her sister's face. "Uh oh… Something tells me I need to go grab the ice cream…" She immediately tossed her magazine aside and shifted up on her bed, making room for her twin to crawl into the space and into her sister's arms.

Josie cried, and Lizzie simply held her, stroking one hand gently down the dark tresses to try and soothe the obviously distraught girl. "Let me guess… Landon?"

Josie sniffled and nodded.

"Sooo, you're not happy he's back?" Lizzie scowled.

"Lizzie!" Josie lightly hit her sister's shoulder before wiping over her face with a frustrated hand.

"I know, I know…" Lizzie sighed. "Okay Jo, it's time to get real here." She shifted slightly so that she could look into Josie's eyes, all while still holding onto her with one arm for comfort. "Are you in love with her?"

Josie buried her face in her hands and nearly bit a chunk out of her lower lip. How could she admit to such a robust statement? How could she admit to such a strong feeling? Things between her and Hope have barely started developing and everything felt like such a mess.

And yet… everything with Hope just felt so right…

"Did dad tell you? About the unification?" Josie asked in a soft whimper, checking in on how much her sister was aware of, but Lizzie shook her head in answer and allowed Josie to fill in the blanks. After hearing how her twin was basically wolf-engaged and marked as the tribrid's future mate, Lizzie nearly had a heart attack.

"I will kill her…" Lizzie muttered. "I will poison her liver and feed it to her bird boy boyfriend." To say that she was feeling a tad overprotective of her twin was a massive understatement.

"Lizzie just let it go, please? Don't make a scene." Josie sighed and stood from the bed, folding her arms protectively around herself as she slowly paced.

"Who's making a scene?" Lizzie cried out, arms flailing. "Not me! Because no one will even see it coming!"

"If you want to actually help me…" Josie tried to soothe her sister as she stepped closer to the blonde who had by now jumped to her feet, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If you want to help, then help me find a way to break the bond. It's what Hope would want… and I can't stand the heartache."


	24. Transformations

"What do you mean she's gone?!" Ric bellowed loudly at the collection of people gathered in his office.

There had been a plan in place that had been laid out perfectly over the past few days. The gang was well aware that the full moon was finally upon them and that no one had any idea what would happen with Josie. Lizzie was supposed to stay by her side all day long, and Josie was supposed to have been taken to her own comfy shifting-cell by the time dusk arose. Hope would see her through whatever awaited her, but there would be the safety of the cell and there would be backup and extra measures in place just in case.

But by the time it was late afternoon, Josie had slipped away and off of everyone's radar. Hope had warned them that she would grow wilder as the day grew long and that instinctually she would do everything in her power to be free of any and all confines. Hope was almost proud of the resourcefulness that Josie had shown in escaping her so-called captors.

"Look, all we can do now is damage control." Hope stepped forward and warned urgently. "I'll find her, I promise, and I'll take care of her. Dr. Saltzman, you need to take care of the rest."

And so, they divided their efforts: Kaleb and MG would see to all of the vampires staying in their rooms for the night, needing a strict curfew in order to keep them safe from the wolves. As for the wolves, Dorian would oversee them as they remained locked up in the shifting cells for the night, including Rafael. Emma was tasked with making sure that all the witches also remained indoors and out of harm's way, while Lizzie was given the responsibility of keeping an eye on Landon (which she desperately resented). Alaric would assume overall command, while Hope went after the wayward Josie.

(…)

_"Are you in love with her?"_

The words Lizzie had asked kept echoing through Josie's mind throughout the following days. While she was desperately avoiding Hope, as well as mostly everyone else, she had to face the truth of the situation. Was she, or wasn't she?

And in there lay the crux of their problem. Was the bond simply a connection established between Hope's wolf and the wolf-presence it had awoken within Josie? Was there an actual conscious emotional attachment between her and Hope, or was it all instinctually driven by their inner-animals? And if that was the case… was that really so bad?

Josie had never considered herself primal, but ever since Hope marked her she knew she had become thus. And there was something utterly intoxicating about the primordial. Josie wanted more of it and she wanted to live it. She wanted the wolf inside of her and it was difficult to imagine it being gone. However, she knew, should she break the bond with Hope that she would lose her wolf.

When she had spoken to Hope in the clearing and the tribrid had asked Josie why she felt like a freak, she was horrified at the thought of being violent and aggressive should she shift into a wolf. But the more she thought about it, the more Hope's words inside her mindscape came back to her.

_"Your subconscious made a fairytale: that the good you is weak, and the powerful you is evil. Tell yourself a different story."_

This was so very much the same. Why could she not be powerful and still maintain control? If Hope was sharing her wolf curse with Josie through the unification, then wouldn't that mean she'd be an evolved wolf like Hope as well? She'd be able to shift and be in control. She'd be able to perform magic without having to siphon it first. She'd be a rarity. She'd be special. Why did she have to feel bad about that?

And then she felt anger overwhelm her. Intense, unbearable anger. Josie lifted her hand where she stood alone in the old mill, and with her rising hand she levitated a ceramic lantern that had been resting on a tree stump to one side. She suddenly balled her hand into a fist and the lantern exploded into nothing but dust. A strangled noise escaped her throat as her eyes started watering.

Hope could not abandon her. Whatever this thing between them was, it was not done. She couldn't allow it to be. She needed to remind Hope of what burned so intensely between them.

Glancing upward towards the slowly darkening sky, Josie's eyes lit up in copper flames as the edge of the full moon started to become visible.

(…)

Hope set out into the woods, worried about how quickly it was getting dark and knowing that she had to find Josie as soon as possible. She had a bag with her with some things they might need, including changes of clothing and a blanket. She couldn't help but have her father's words run through her mind the first time she shifted. It had saved her an immense amount of pain, and that was all she wanted to do for Josie.

Josie… Sweet, beautiful Josie…

Hope's mind had been filled with the brunette over the past few days, even though she didn't even manage to see her once. The last time they had even spoken to each other was with the situation with Jade in the bathroom. Hope had been so hurt; she couldn't believe that Josie would side with Jade over her. But the more thought she gave it, the more she realized that if Josie had not done what she had done, there would probably have been a physical altercation between her and the vampire.

But did Josie have to be so cold about it?

And then Hope realized that there were colder things in life. Like the absence of Josie in it.

As afraid as she had been about her developing romance with the siphon, she was having even more trouble at the thought of it not happening at all. It always seemed so simple to juggle something with uncertainty, until the option wasn't there anymore. And Hope felt untimely robbed of her opportunity to decide exactly what it was that she wanted.

It was easy enough to guess that Josie's avoidance was due to Landon having returned. And there was the biggest current issue that they faced.

Landon.

Hope had spent most of her time over the past few days with him down in his cell. In between some general tests to check exactly how alive he was (for lack of a better explanation), the two of them would just talk and talk. Hope would tell Landon about the things he missed. She told him about her own ordeal with her delayed awakening. She tried to explain the situation with Josie possibly turning into a hybrid as well, but she chose her words carefully, making sure that she did not reveal any of the truth of what was going on between Hope and the witch. She wasn't sure there was any easy way to explain to your boyfriend that his ex- and current girlfriend was possibly engaged to and having make-out sessions with his most recent ex-girlfriend.

Spending time with Landon was comforting and it made Hope happy. When she was sure no one would interrupt them, she would slip into his cell and let him simply hold her close in his arms. It felt nice. But was 'nice' enough? They kissed and his lips were warm. Again, it was… nice. Everything about Landon and the feelings he gave her were 'nice'.

And that was it.

And she didn't know what to make of it.

And the simple fact of the matter was – if she had to be brutally honest with herself – he just wasn't Josie.

(…)

When Hope approached the old mill, she could see the signs of Josie having been there – not the least of which were the broken pieces of random objects. She dropped her bag on one worn couch and carefully observed the surroundings for any signs of where the girl might have wandered off to. She quickly spotted a set of tracks leading off into the woods. Then she spotted a second pair following the first.

"Damnit…" She mumbled, not sure who it was, but knowing they were either posing a danger to Josie, or placing themselves in great danger.

She didn't have to follow the tracks far before she found the owners.

"You've got to be kidding me right now." Hope growled as both Josie and Jade snapped their eyes towards Hope. The situation she found them in was not too compromising at least, but Hope still hated the way Jade had Josie's face in her hands and they way in which her body leaned towards Hope's mate.

HER mate.

Hope blinked at the thought as her heart skipped a beat. She could feel her wolf coming alive inside of her, the wolf's power suddenly coursing through her veins.

"Either you are exceptionally stupid, or you WANT to die tonight." She uttered through her teeth at Jade as she stepped closer, her presence alone causing the other two girls to separate from each other.

"We don't need you here, Mikaelson." Jade set her jaw tightly as she stepped in front of Josie.

"Are you kidding me? It's a full moon! And I promise you…" Hope paused as she looked over to Josie's glowing copper eyes behind Jade, her own finally lighting up a bright gold. "If you don't get out of here, one of us WILL tear you apart."

Jade's canine's elongated, turning to fangs as her eyes grew bloody, the vampire taking another step towards Hope. "For Josie, I'll risk it."

"Josie is the only reason I have not ripped your throat out yet." Hope's own canines grew threateningly as her wolf started pushing its way out. "Get out of here. Now!" She barked with authority lacing her voice.

"Hope…" Josie started and paused, Hope's eyes flashing at her. She wouldn't be able to deal with being shut down by the brunette again. "Hope is right…" Josie directed her gaze to Jade. "It's not safe for you here. You need to leave."

Jade scoffed, the veins beneath her eyes popping underneath the skin as her gaze never left Hope. "This isn't over, Mikaelson. I don't give up on the things I want."

The hairs on the back of Hope's neck stood on end from anger and her whole body buzzed as she strained to keep her wolf under control. "You better give up when what you want is MINE."

Before either girl could get in another threatening word, Josie dropped to her knees, screaming. She was in very obvious pain. Hope, startled, glanced up to the sky to see the full moon now in clear view as it started rising to its apex. She rushed to Josie's side, and when she looked back to Jade, she was relieved to find that the vampire was gone.

(…)

It was to be the longest night of either Hope or Josie's life.

Hope had carried Josie back to the mill and laid her down on the couch. Josie was running a high fever and would scream out in pain intermittently. The sounds of agony made Hope's blood run cold as she tried to comfort Josie. She had told Josie what her father had told her: "Concentrate on the air in your lungs and the ground beneath you… If you let it in, if you allow it to swallow you whole, then it cannot break you."

But Josie was breaking and nothing was helping. Josie tried to allow the wolf to consume her. She could feel it inside, agonizing to break free, but no matter how much she willed it, it just would not happen. Josie' bones would not break, but it seemed like they kept cracking and healing and cracking again, over and over. It was not Josie that was preventing the shift. It was something else. And all Hope could do was hold her as it happened for hours on end.

Every once or so an hour, the pain would seem to subside just enough for Josie to be able to catch her breath. Hope would give her water and make sure she stayed hydrated, but she knew there was no amount of medication that would be able to lessen her pain. Hope couldn't eve use magic, as it was the shifting magical transformation within Josie causing the pain to begin with.

So, Hope would remain holding Josie, stroking her hair and pressing soft kisses to her damp forehead as they curled up together on the couch underneath the soft blanket Hope had brought with. After a particularly bad bout of insufferable pain, Hope came to the conclusion that heat may help soothe some of it. She crept just out of Josie's view and shifted into her wolf, knowing that her body heat was much higher that way. She crawled back onto the couch and under the blanket with Josie, allowing the girl to curl her fingers into Hope's fur as she tried to bear the coursing pain in between cuddling into the warmth that the wolf provided.

Eventually, some time just before dawn, Josie passed out exhausted as her pain finally subsided.


	25. Honesty

Josie felt like she was being enveloped by the sun in liquid form, the warmth spreading all over her and right through her entire body. Her extremities tingled as they started moving, stroking, as if swimming in a lake of balminess. A certain scent filled her nostrils and caused her to feel enraptured by its earthen sweetness. Her face sunk deeper into silken auburn as her hands travelled across smooth skin as if exploring, dragging her fingertips across the surface of this heat surrounding her so soothingly.

Hope, herself still drunk with sleep and struggling to distinguish between her dreams and reality, sighed deeply as the warmth of the late morning sun stroked her face. Then she smiled softly as the sun stroked up her side and down her stomach, down further…

Whoa wait – that's not the sun. Hope suddenly blinked, eyes straining to open against the light hitting them.

After the long and painful night she and Josie had shared, they had both managed to sleep like the dead for a few hours. However, when they fell asleep Hope was still in her wolf form, and now waking up; she most definitely was not. The two were cuddled together on the couch, curled up under their fluffy blanket with a still snoozing Josie spooned up against Hope's back.

And a still snoozing Josie's hands were roaming dangerously.

"Jo…" Hope croaked out hoarsely as she felt Josie's hand slide over her hip and down her thigh. She swallowed hard as her eyes blazed as heatedly as her aroused skin. Consciously, she knew this had to stop, but deep inside her chest her wolf was going mad.

"Josie." Hope tried again, her own hand reaching down to rest on top of Josie's in order to still it as it reached for her lower ribs, just in case it went somewhere it really shouldn't.

"Mhmmm…" Josie moaned sleepily and it took her about 5 seconds of slowly blinking herself into a conscious state before she realized what was happening. She froze inside, but her skin flushed red-hot all over her body. Her eyes were lit up in tremendous luminosity as she withdrew her hand from Hope's body.

"Oh my god you're naked shit I'm sorry I didn't…" She rambled faster than the speed of light while Hope gripped the blanket and rolled off of the couch, taking it with her to cover herself up with.

"Hey hey hey, it's okay, don't even worry about it…" Hope interrupted Josie's strangled words, though she herself was a sharp scarlet color with a body that was undeniably on fire. She grinned bashfully as she tried to avert her blazing gaze away from Josie's. "Yeah I'm just gonna… go…" She motioned to where she had left her clothes around the corner and quickly slinked off to get dressed.

By the time she got back a few minutes later, the small break away had done nothing to soothe Hope's wolf. What had made it even worse was that the animal was agitated from not getting to spend a full moon running freely, seeing as how Hope stayed by Josie's side.

Josie cleared her throat awkwardly as Hope approached where she still sat on the couch in the sun, her own arousal not quite having faded just yet, as could be evidenced by her still brightly glowing eyes. "I… uhh…" She cleared her throat again and took a deep, calming breath as Hope sat down next to her, but did not dare to look her in the eye. "I wanted to thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you last night. I'm sorry that I ran away from school. I don't know what it was, but…"

"You couldn't bare to be confined. You wanted to be out here, open and free. I know the feeling. I don't blame you." Hope responded gently as she reached for Josie's hand, letting her know that everything was okay. "I'm so sorry for what you went through. I don't understand what happened… I don't know why you weren't able to shift."

Josie allowed her fingers to lace through Hope's and squeezed her hand, starting to feel more at ease. "It's so hard to explain. It was like something was blocking the energy flow between myself and the wolf, if that makes any sort of sense?"

"I get it. Even though you were reaching for each other, there was some invisible barrier stopping it. I've felt it. It was before my first actual shift, when the wolf wanted out but it wasn't time yet." Hope turned her body to face Josie, her expression soft and sincere as she could read the worry on Josie's face, almost sensing what fear was going to come next.

"Hope, do I…" And for a second it looked like Josie might start crying, but she was quick to swallow down the lump in her throat. "Do I need to activate it first? Do I need to…" She couldn't even say it.

"Josie, hey, shh…" Hope reached out to the other girl and pulled her into a comforting embrace, trying to soothe her concerns. Josie was so pure that Hope knew, for Josie, the thought of killing an innocent would be unbearable. "What happened with you last night does not happen with wolves that have not activated their gene." She leaned back in order to look Josie in the eyes, her one hand coming up to cup the girl's cheek. "I don't think that's the case… There's something else at play here. I promise we'll figure it out before the next full moon, okay?" And then she leaned forward, placing the softest, sweetest and most chaste kiss on Josie's lips. "I swear to you, Jo…"

Josie lingered close to Hope, leaning her forehead against the tribrid's gently. Everything just felt better when she was close to Hope. She thought about her previous contemplations again – whether the feelings she felt were conscious or only had to do with their primal desires. But this feeling, Josie thought – the feeling she was experiencing at that very moment – her heart was on fire. Sure, her wolf was restless and excited inside of her, she could feel that too. But the feeling she was experiencing for Hope in that very moment ran throughout every aspect of her being.

"Are you in love with her?" Lizzie had asked.

And yes. Yes, she was.

"The past few days…" Josie started softly, but Hope was quick to cut her off.

"I've missed you." The tribrid whispered. It wasn't quite what Josie had expected, but the words fell on her ears like beautiful music.

"I wanted to give you space… with Landon being back, I know you needed it." Josie whispered in return and started pulling back from Hope.

"Time with him does not mean I need time away from you." Hope shook her head, frowning, hating the fact that Josie could believe that she'd want space away from her.

"I know things are different now." Josie sighed and ran an idle hand through her hair; she wasn't quite sure how to broach the topic and address the elephant in the room. "Hope, I… I spent the last few days searching for a way to break the bond, or end the betrothal, or whatever you want to name it…"

Hope paused every movement and simply stared at Josie, blinking at her in disbelief. Hearing Josie say those words and making her intentions known had a devastating effect on Hope's heart. It honestly just felt like someone was reaching into her chest and grabbing hold of it, squeezing the life right out.

"You… you don't want… this?" Hope stuttered as she motioned between the two of them.

"What I want is to give you what you want." Josie shook her head at Hope, trying to get her to understand. "You can't deal with… this," she made the same motion between them, "when you have Landon back in your life. I would know better than anyone what he means to you."

The further the conversation progressed, the further Hope could feel her heart cracking and chipping and falling away piece by piece. She understood where Josie was coming from – she couldn't pursue her connection with Josie if she was still attached to Landon. And she honestly wasn't sure how strong her attachment to Landon still was. Hope felt utterly lost and confused. But most of all, she felt the pain swarming her emotions.

"Jo… you're so worried about what I want…" Hope uttered gently as she reached for Josie's hand once more, holding it gingerly between both her own. "I want to know what you want…"

Josie sighed deeply. She didn't have the courage to be completely honest. Hope might know how she feels, she might even sense it through their bond, but Josie was not about to say it out loud if there was the chance that it would not be reciprocated.

"I want… I want to know where this could go. I honestly thought I should just give this up, but…" Josie stared deeply into Hope's eyes, her own glowing just a little bit brighter than before. "Hope, I can't let you go just yet…"

Hope smiled and sighed, clearly relieved. She had no real understandable explanation as to why hearing those words made her so unbelievably happy, but they did.

"I don't know…" Josie continued, "how much of what we feel is conscious and how much is unconscious… but I'd like to find out… if you're willing to give it a chance…"

Hope watched those beautiful pouty lips as the sweetest look of hopefulness settled on Josie's features and all she wanted to do was kiss her right then.

"And I don't expect you to stop seeing Landon. You're in a relationship and I respect any and all boundaries you set." Josie spoke further while averting her gaze, self-conscious and blushing as she opened up to Hope, basically laying her heart bare for Hope to do with as she pleased none the less.

"Jo…" Hope squeezed Josie's hand reassuringly, dipping her head to try and capture those copper orbs with her own golden gaze once more. She found them soon enough. "I don't have all the answers. In fact, right now I don't have any answers." She chuckled a bit, simply wanting to tear down the tension that seemed to stifle the air between them. "And I have been spending time with Landon the last few days, I won't lie. But if I'm not going to lie, Josie… then I also have to admit that even despite time spent with him, I haven't been able to get you off my mind…"

(…)

"Alright, it's settled. Your bus leaves in an hour. Your trip back will be Monday afternoon." Alaric let his gaze flicker between Hope and Josie as they sat next to each other on the couch in his office.

When the girls had finally returned to the school – just about when everyone was losing their minds out of concern – they had filled everybody in on what had occurred the previous night and how Josie was unable to transition. Alaric had soon made a call to Freya in New Orleans to share his concern.

He still trusted her and Keelin's knowledge (and intentions) above most to assist with their current predicament. The women had suggested that it would be better for Hope and Josie to spend the long weekend after the full moon with them so that they may observe them in person. That way they could assist further in finding answers regarding the unification and the shifting.

"Please… Don't get into any sort of trouble…" He arched his brow in warning.


	26. Family

**A/N: Songs: "Bend and not break" – Dashboard Confessional ; "Currents" – Dashboard Confessional ; "Shallow" – Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper**

(…)

Nietzsche said that there is always some madness in love, but that there is also always some reason in madness.

Josie was stuck – was she on the side of reason or madness? Both filled her mind as she sat next to Hope on the bus on their way to New Orleans. It was a long trip and it seemed to Josie that every minute that passed by just served to further drive her to finding some sort of reason in the madness she was experiencing.

Hope was asleep, her head gently resting on Josie's shoulder as she breathed deeply. Josie couldn't help but admire how peaceful she seemed, and just how beautiful that peace was. Josie was very well aware of the life that Hope has lived and the things she's had to endure in her short 18 years, and so she was not someone who relaxed easily. But in a rare moment such as the current one, Josie couldn't help but fall deeper in love with the look of contentment that sat relaxed on Hope's beautiful features.

It was a common belief that love is madness. Josie knew that if such was the case, then she'd never want to experience sanity again. Josie would rather spend all her days enraptured in lunacy if that meant she would get to experience the ecstasy of loving Hope Mikaelson.

But in that same madness lay the pain she feared. It would indeed be madness to love someone who loved someone else. Hope had admitted to Josie that she struggled to get the siphon off of her mind. But Hope had also admitted to Josie that she had been spending a lot of time with Landon. Josie was fearful, and her heart – though filled with mad love and loving madness – was still very aware of the fact that it might get broken.

Josie watched Hope, filled from top to toe with the purest sense of affection imaginable, and made herself a promise. She reached out and tucked some stray strands of auburn behind Hope's ear and whispered – not necessarily to Hope, but into the universe itself, "I am fairly agile. I know that I can bend and not break… or if I do break, I can take it with a smile. All as long as I can just have my moment to hold you."

(…)

Hope opened her eyes slowly, her mind still foggy from sleep, her lips attached to the warmth of Josie's neck. Even though she didn't mean to, she still couldn't help but not only notice how fast Josie's heart was beating, but also how quickly it made Hope's own blood rush through her body.

She slowly pulled away with a shy smile as she cast her eyes at Josie. Josie's gaze was a hot ember color and Hope was relieved that they had managed to grab seats at the front of the bus where people would not be able to turn around and see the coloration of their eyes in each other's presence. Naturally, with Josie's eyes lit up like that, Hope's own adopted a soft golden glow as an equally soft smile settled on her lips.

"Hey sleepy." Josie whispered gently to Hope and it gave her butterflies. Just the pure tenderness with which Josie spoke to Hope alone was enough to make her melt for the dark-haired girl next to her. Josie was by far the most selfless, softest and purest soul that anyone at school could say they knew, and it thoroughly warmed Hope's heart. But then there was also the Josie that Hope had been getting to know as of late – the one that set her heart on fire and forced her body into sweltering arousal.

"Hey you…" Hope whispered in return and leaned her body into Josie's instinctively, seeking her warmth. "Whatcha doing?"

Josie stretched her arm out behind Hope and allowed the girl to crawl further into her side before wrapping it around her back and shoulder. "Oh, you know, the usual." Josie grinned at Hope and narrowed her eyes playfully. "Watching you sleep and planning on where I'm going to dump your body later."

Hope's eyes stretched to comical proportions as she lightly slapped Josie's leg. "I will come back to haunt you, you know?"

Josie giggled melodically and it caused Hope's heart to skip a beat. She loved the sound. If she could hear that sound every day, she would never need anything else ever again. "Here, listen with me." Josie said as she gave Hope an ear pod so that she could join in on relaxing to Josie's music as their journey continued.

The past few weeks had not been easy and they had definitely been filled with their ups and downs and loads of surprises. The most recent one, of course, being the fact that Hope's actual boyfriend had finally resurrected. Hope was caught, stuck, writhing between a rock and a hard place. She loved Landon and there was no doubt about that. However, she just still could not shake the feeling that something had changed ever since she woke up. Even though she loved Landon as she had loved him before his death, there was a new contender for her heart now that she could not ignore.

Perhaps it was rather a case of Hope's wolf refusing to allow her to ignore this new love.

Hope had to face the fact that her wolf had chosen Josie as her mate, even though it made no sense for a wolf to choose a non-wolf as a mate – not in the traditional way that it was doing, to the extent that there was marking and unification involved. She hoped that they would find the answers they needed with her aunts in New Orleans, but until then the burning desire she felt for Josie in the pit of her stomach just was not going to simply go away. Maybe they were rushing head-first into something that could cause them both great pain. Even the hook-ups were driven by an instinctual hunger that they seemed to have very little control over.

And so Hope sat, confused, with Landon in the palm of her one hand, and Josie consuming, in fiery passion, the other.

But, Hope thought, if a connection such as this is truly born in flames, then it should be granted the opportunity to burn as brightly as it can. And if it is eventually perhaps meant to end, then let it end the way it began – so hot it burns their hands.

(…)

"I've missed you so much." Hope was buried in the arms of Freya, her aunt enveloping her in what seemed like the world's tightest hug, as the small group gathered in the driveway of the house.

"I hope you're not too disappointed that we decided to move out to the suburbs, Hope." Keelin smiled from next to Freya, bouncing a busy toddler in her arms. Once Hope finished greeting Freya she soon shifted over to Keelin, hugging her with one arm while she cupped the back of little Nik's head with her free hand.

"Not at all. It's nice out here. Seems so… homey, I guess?" Hope took a moment to glance around the front yard of the house that her aunts called home. It was the American dream – typical white picket fence and everything.

"It's closer to the hospital for Keelin, and there's a really nice daycare around the corner for Nik." Freya explained as she eyed her niece while the girl soaked in her surroundings. "Marcel and Rebekah still stay at the compound when they're in town. They're off on one of their adventures at the moment. Kol and Davina also stay over there when they visit. It's just so big for us alone…"

"Aunty Freya, you have a beautiful home. I love it. Now will you please let us inside at least?" Hope grinned from ear to ear and lifted her bag along with Josie's, soon lead inside by the other women.

The girls had managed to arrive at their destination in New Orleans just in time for supper and couldn't be happier as they were treated to one of Keelin's famous pots of shellfish gumbo. As the ladies all gathered around the dining table, it gave them an opportunity to get better acquainted with what would come to be known as "the special lady" in Hope's life. If anyone had eyes to see how the two girls truly felt about each other, it was Freya and Keelin.

"You're even prettier than the last time we met." Freya smiled at Josie, watching delightedly as she turned a rosy color at the complement. "I must admit, I do look forward to seeing a different side of you from last time." Freya was of course referring to when Josie had managed to track her down for assistance in reverse engineering the spell that she would eventually use to recover everyone's memories after Malivore. "Perhaps a little less reckless and a little… happier." She winked at the siphon.

It had been a miserable time in Josie's life. She was once again the one to willingly self-sacrifice and give up the happiness she had shared with Landon in order to bring back everyone's memories of Hope. She was, of course, happy to have Hope back. But it hurt so much to watch the boy she wanted walk away from her and back into the arms of her best friend.

It's funny the way things seemed to turn around at the drop of a hat.

"I know just the way to make Josie a little happier." Hope grinned devilishly at Josie and then arched one brow at her aunt as if she was asking permission for something.

"Why do I not trust that look?" Josie scrutinized Hope. "And since when does the guarded Hope Mikaleson ever relax enough to get up to whatever nonsense you have in mind right now?"

Freya glanced over at Keelin and raised her brows. "Are you going to babysit tonight while I go teenage-sit?" She asked with a smirk.

Keelin grinned and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "The one is searching within herself for something more, while the other one is trying to fill a void. Take them to see if they can figure out which is which."

Sometimes Hope hated how intuitive Keelin was. She was definitely a wolf. It was also why she respected and loved her so much, and she knew that if anyone could lead them to answers regarding their predicament, it would be her and Freya.

But for now, it was a Friday night and the French Quarter was beckoning.

"You ready?" Hope grinned at Josie as her eyes started glowing brightly.

"Do I have a choice?" Josie met Hope's eyes with a luminous copper gaze.


	27. Bourbon Street

**A/N:**

**1 – I know absolutely jack about New Orleans. I don't even live on the American continent. I tried my best with research.**

**2 – I also only watched about a season and a half or so of The Originals (don't shoot me, I enjoyed it, I just haven't gotten around to watching it all) – so again, working off of research.**

**3 – Aaaaand it's not that I condone underaged drinking, but in my country the legal drinking age is 18, which would mean for me this would be completely normal where I'm from. (But kids – don't drink! It leads to massive headaches and bad decision making.)**

**4 – Music? "But it's better if you do" – Panic! At the Disco ; "Of all the gin joints in all the world" – Fall Out Boy ; "Rooftops and invitations" – Dashboard Confessional ; "She Wolf (Falling to pieces)" – David Quetta feat. Sia**

(…)

"Is this like, a family owned place?" Josie asked with warm cheeks as she watched Hope and Freya over the rim of a glass that contained something that was distinctly not juice or soda only.

"No, al though that would have been cool." Hope grinned, her own cheeks somewhat rosy as she looked around the bar and its lively occupancy. There were people everywhere, huddled in groups around tables and seated inside booths. To one side of the large room was a small stage where a jazz band was crooning out its best Friday night tunes. People clamored around the bar counter and raised their glasses to friendships and family; to success and even heartache. It was a beautiful thing to observe: the liveliness and the exuberance.

"Rousseau's is more like… a common home, if you will. You know how on the show Friends they always hang out at 'Central Perk', or on How I Met Your Mother they have 'MacLaren's'? Well, I guess that's what Rousseau's is to us, especially the supernatural community of the French Quarter." Freya explained as she relaxed back in her seat. It wasn't often that she was able to relax and enjoy herself. Often the eldest Mikaelson felt that she carried the world on her shoulders, especially when it came to taking care of her family.

But for now, Freya was just happy to take care of her niece and ensure that she and her friend had an enjoyable, yet safe, night out on the town.

"Are you almost done with that?" Hope gestured at Josie's drink. Freya had allowed the girls to consume just a little bit of alcohol under her adult supervision. It was the weekend in New Orleans, after all, and she felt that for teenagers that had so much drama to deal with as these girls did, that perhaps it would be good for them to just be teenagers for a change.

"So impatient, wolfy." Josie grinned and winked at Hope before swallowing the last of the red liquid in her glass. The liquid she had been consuming thus far throughout the evening was awakening an uncharacteristic playfulness within her – something that Hope thought was wildly attractive.

Hope blushed further as she pushed her own empty glass to the side and stood from her chair, then looked down at Freya. "Is it cool if we go explore?"

"I'll wait here for you girls. You have 2 hours. And you know the rules, Hope!" Freya smiled at her niece with a raised brow, waiting for a response.

"Yes ma'am! No more drinking, no magic, no wolfing, no dodgy strangers, return at the first sign of anything that seems off." Hope rambled out a set of rules that Freya had by now drilled into her whenever she would visit in New Orleans. Simple yet effective rules, all for the sake of keeping her niece safe and guarded. The Mikaelson family could never be sure that there were no more enemies lurking in secret shadows, so Freya liked to be cautious.

"You're such a mom…" Hope whined playfully at her aunt as she grabbed Josie's hand and tugged her to her feet. "See you later aunty Freya!" And the two were out the door of the establishment.

The warm and humid air outside did nothing to ease the lightness that had by now settled into Josie's mind, but either way she was spellbound by her surroundings. Hope watched her fondly as her doe eyes travelled up and down curiously. Freya had made sure to place a sort of illusion spell on the girls for the evening to hide their wolf eyes that tended to flare up at the slightest opportunity. They definitely didn't need to draw unwarranted attention this night.

"So, I take it you've never seen Bourbon street on a weekend evening?" Hope grinned as she moved over to Josie and tugged on her hand, then slipped her fingers between the brunette's. She had a good excuse, of course – the streets were busy and she most definitely did not want to lose a slightly tipsy Josie to the throngs of people moving up and down the pavement.

"It's amazing. It reminds me of the last trip Lizzie and I took to Europe to visit our mom. But she'd never allow us to go out wandering the nightlife like this." Josie giggled, knowing that neither of her parents would approve of her current surroundings or activities. But all she wanted for one night was to just not care! She was so tired of caring, of worrying, of always being cautious and in control.

Just for one night, she thought, would it be okay if she lost it? Just a little.

Hope answered her question for her without a word as she tugged Josie along the street, coming to stop at a cart selling drinks. Her blue eyes twinkled mischievously at the siphon, before glancing over the oddly shaped plastic containers the vendor held behind him in his fridge, ready to go. "You haven't been to Bourbon street if you haven't tried a hand grenade." Hope laughed as she ordered two.

"Hope! Freya said…" Josie started protesting, but Hope quickly cut her off.

"Freya is very aware of the fact that I never keep to the rules." Hope shook her head as she received the two drinks from the vendor after paying and handed one to Josie. "Relax…" Hope cooed as she stepped closer to Josie and into her personal space, casting a somewhat seductive glance at the taller girl from beneath her lashes. "Just. One. Night."

(…)

The rest of the evening was a bit of a mosaic of blurred images and memories, for both Hope and Josie.

There was a flash here and there of the pair in Jackson Square, enjoying being entertained by a troupe of jugglers and acrobats. One young gentleman's slight of hand trick produced a beautiful red rose for Josie as he kneeled before her, causing a jealous Hope to roll her eyes and pull her mate away from her new admirer. At another point Josie had encouraged Hope to toss rings at milk bottles and win her a massive panda teddy bear. Hope, of course, cheated and Josie dragged a life size stuffed animal around with her for the rest of the night. There was a moment of panic when Josie thought she had lost Hope among all the people, only to find her pulling up next to Josie in a horse cart, holding her hand out gallantly for Josie to join her on a moonlit ride.

It was amazing how many shenanigans the girls could get up to in 3 hours (because Hope always broke the rules – as Freya expected by now), but she always kept it within reason. And no matter what they did or what they consumed or where they went, Hope was never more than a step away from Josie. She would give her life in a heartbeat to make sure Josie was safe, inebriated or not.

The time was nearing their inevitable return to Rousseau's when they found a particularly enjoyable band performing on a corner close by. Josie let her panda sit this one out as Hope reached for her and pulled her in close to dance. With every movement of Hope's body, Josie felt the heat within her own grow, and every time she put her hands on Hope's hips, they could both feel the intensely restless feeling of their wolves from within. The smooth jazzy bass and beat was intoxicating in the moment as Hope pulled Josie closer still, wrapping her arm around the brunette's lower back. As Josie stepped into the tight space molded for her by Hope, she could feel her hips slide into a perfect fit with Hope's as the two moved in unison. Hope allowed her free hand to dig into the back of Josie's hair, while Josie herself wrapped her arms around Hope's neck. She watched the tribrid closely, her mouth squeezed into that beautiful pout as her eyes travelled from Hope's eyes to her lips and back again. There were no words to explain how badly Josie had wanted those lips in that moment. The way Hope was moving her body against Josie's was just too goddamn sexy for the siphon to deal with.

"Okay, home time!" Freya seemed to appear out of nowhere as she stepped up to the girls, each one of her hands wrapping over the girls' eyes. "Either the spell had worn off, or you two are just… making it really difficult to hold." Freya smirked. She had made no error of judgement in the strength of the spell she cast. She knew very well that the girls' attraction to each other, being fed by their wolves, was breaking through her magic. This also meant that the unison of the two of them could lead to a power of epic proportions – a power that some hungry might want to harvest if they were not careful in the way they dealt with the pair and their bond.

"Aunty Freya, wha…" Hope whined. She was really enjoying the hypnotic moment of getting lost within Josie.

"You two are lit up like Christmas trees… in more way than one." Freya was also very aware of the fact that the girls had had more to drink and by now needed a tall glass of water or two. "Let's get out of here."

By the time they dragged themselves away from the crowds to head home, they were already too distracted to notice the intense pairs of eyes that had been watching them from a shadowy corner.

(…)

"Josie…" The brunette heard her name whispered against her ear, the heat of warm breath causing goosebumps to spread through her neck. She moved, sleepily, though not yet ready to open her eyes.

"Jo… wake up…" The whispers were soft, but insistent. Pleading, but also demanding. It could not be morning yet, Josie knew. She had barely fallen asleep in the bed in the spare room of Freya and Keelin's house and her head was still spinning just a little.

"Josette…" The whisper was a whisper no more, but rather a husky utterance of her full name that caused a shiver to run down Josie's spine. Hope was by now resting over Josie's body on all fours, effectively pinning her down between her strong limbs.

Looking up into Hope's brightly shining amber eyes caused Josie's gaze to flash into a fiery copper.

She swallowed hard as she laid pinned to her back.

"You're supposed to be sleeping downstairs…" Josie whispered huskily.

"I'm not sleepy." Hope licked her lips.


	28. A Timeless Connection

"So, what do you two have planned for today? Anything specific that you'd like to do?" Keelin asked as she popped a few slices of bread in the toaster, speaking to Hope and Josie over her shoulder. Freya was seated in front of Nik's baby chair, cooing at him as she tried to get him to eat his breakfast.

Hope finished filling two cups of coffee and slowly slid the one over the counter at Josie, meeting her gaze unwillingly, her eyes immediately lighting up.

_*Hope breathed heavily as the blankets fell to the floor, ripped away by eager hands so that her body could make contact with Josie's. Straddling the younger girl's hips, the tribrid soon had a wrist clasped in each hand and pinned them above Josie's head, trapping them down into the pillow on which brown waves of hair were splayed out. Josie looked up at Hope with hunger, rolling her hips ever so slightly in anticipation._

Hope cleared her throat as a wave of heat washed over her cheeks. "Uhh I don't… we haven't really decided yet." She muttered in response to Keelin's question.

Josie focused her gaze down at the coffee that sat between her curled hands, trying to hide the bright glow of her eyes, though she knew it was impossible. The next best thing was at least to hide her gaze from Hope. She idly took a sip and shrugged her shoulders, "It's a nice day out."

"Well maybe you should take Josie sightseeing, Hope." Freya suggested right before catching some scrambled egg that Nik had decided to fling from his plate. She made a face at him and wiped his mouth gently with a soft cloth. "You could go show her the Bayou. Take a boat ride." Freya knew that the Bayou held a special connotation for Hope, regarding her mother's roots and the place that was once the home of Hope's actual pack, the Crescents.

Josie dared to glance up at Hope who had by now come to take a seat at the kitchen counter next to her. She smiled faintly before having to wet her lips as she locked into those glowing golden orbs, her mouth suddenly feeling very, very dry.

_*Josie's hands slid underneath Hope's shirt and up her back, before the siphon raked her nails back down again, causing Hope to grind down on Josie's hips and squeeze harshly at her wrists, her lips pausing their movements against the hot skin of Josie's neck to growl out a low, "Oh my god…" When she finally released Josie's wrists, the younger girl was quick to tangle her fingers in auburn locks and tug Hope's mouth into hers forcefully, swallowing up a collective moan of pleasure._

"What do you think?" Hope arched a brow at Josie at Freya's suggestion.

Josie flushed and stuttered out a simple "Sounds nice."

Keelin put a breakfast plate in front of each of the girls and leaned onto the counter as she eyed the two conspicuously. Josie blinked down at her food and idly started eating, while Hope tried to play it cool at least. "What?" She smirked nervously at Keelin as she took hold of her fork.

Keelin smiled knowingly and glanced over to her wife, who grinned back at her and then at the two girls. "It's coming off you two in waves." The older wolf said as she rested onto her elbows, continuing to watch the two. Josie swallowed some toast down the wrong hole and coughed, spluttering as she took a few desperate sips of coffee to ease her throat.

_*Josie gasped for air as Hope lay her body down on top of her, heat emanating and accumulating between them like two suns about to melt together. Their legs tangled together as thighs settled between thighs and hips locked into hips and fingers grasped at exposed skin eagerly. Hope tilted Josie's face to hers and pressed their lips together, moving wantonly as tongues soon slid out to duel in a battle for domination over the other._

"Wh- What do you mean, aunt Keelin?" Hope stuttered and tried her best to not show the extreme discomfort she was currently experiencing.

"Your connection." Keelin said simply and tilted her head. "It's palpable."

"And it's not just your energy," Freya added from the side, "but also, somehow, it's magical in nature. It's commanding. The bond you two have formed… it's powerful."

"Like I told Alaric, there is only record of three times where something like this has happened before, in the wolf lore that Freya and I could find." Keelin continued to explain as she reached for the girls' hands. Even as she touched them, she could feel the strength of their wolves pulsating through to her. "In these cases the couples all turned out to be twin flames with their mates."

Hope blinked at Keelin, and then over at Josie, both looking equally stunned. They knew what twin flames were and it was not the first time that the thought had crossed their minds – subconsciously at least – but it had seemed like such a beautiful mythological story that was too good to actually exist.

"Wolves are exceptionally intuitive… and extremely territorial…" Freya grinned at her wife as she moved to join her by the counter, leaving Nik for a few minutes to play with his spoon. "Hope's wolf must have instinctively uncovered the connection when she was in Josie's subconscious. We believe that is what finally allowed Hope to wake up – it was the fact that her wolf was satisfied with the discovery that she had found her other half and wanted to explore the opportunity for unity to take place."

"So we… we're like…" Hope started, her brows creasing in thought.

"Two sides of one coin." Josie aided her, her eyes a little watery even though they were still illuminated.

_*As Hope's teeth sunk into Josie's shoulder in a dominant and territorial display, the siphon arched her back and her body further into Hope. When she hit the ground again there was no matrass beneath her, only soft grass and moss. She opened her eyes, confused, and saw the mixture of snow and night between her and the body atop her. Josie writhed and turned to the side, trying to stretch as she suddenly felt the difference in her joints, but she couldn't move as Hope's jaws clamped down around the skin at the back of her neck. Josie whined as she dug her paws into the ground, but Hope growled deep within her chest as she hunched over her mate._

"Josie, you've had dreams of your wolf before, yes?" Keelin asked the younger girl, who nodded in answer. "Is your wolf black, by any chance?" Keelin smiled then, suspecting she already knew the answer.

"She's like pitch." Hope again felt a blush coloring her cheeks. She thought Josie was absolutely breathtaking in either form. "The exact opposite of me."

Freya nodded in acknowledgement of what Hope said. "She's your mirror, as you are hers. You've seen her in your dreams – you have shared dreams and transcendental experiences exactly because of what you are to each other. You two together make one whole."

"And you can run from each other. You can even live your lives with other people if you want. But the connection between you will prevail." Keelin raised her brows as she looked serious for a second. "Your union is supposed to serve a greater purpose: not just for you, but for the betterment of humanity in general. And I will be honest with you – whatever you decide to do with what's going on between you, your wolves have made it clear that they will not stop until you have been fully united."

Hope swallowed, feeling like a little girl as she considered the implications of what her aunts were telling them. "And h… how do we… I mean, are we talking about the unification ritual here?"

Keelin shrugged as she leaned back from where she was resting on the counter and wrapped one arm around her wife next to her. "Perhaps, but this is all out of the ordinary."

"We're still looking into a few leads." Freya assured, then sighed as she smiled at the girls. "I could try another illusion spell for your eyes, but I suspect you'll just break right through it again in a matter of under an hour. Whatever you decide to do today, may I suggest that you ty to avoid the common folk."

"Now come on love, I think these two have a lot to digest and talk about. I have to get to work, and Nik needs to get dressed." Both women smiled reassuringly at the pair of girls and exited the room with their son.

_*Hope held her grip. It was authoritative and purposeful and she refused to let go until Josie showed signs of submission. The black wolf whined and whimpered, then relaxed and gave herself over to the white wolf on top of her back. Eventually Hope eased up and let go, before finally starting to lick over Josie's head and ears in a grooming motion. It was not too long before the two were off again, weaving in and out of the trees, black mixing with white, like snow in the night._

"Last night…" Josie cleared her throat as her face burned, gaze carefully shifting to Hope next to her. "It… I mean… I was… We were… dreaming?"

Hope grinned shyly and ducked her head, then nodded as she looked up at Josie from beneath her lashes again with that golden gaze. "Yeah… I guess… I guess the wolf wants what the wolf wants…"


	29. The Pack

"A reverse lycanthrope curse?" Josie asked as she glanced over to Hope walking next to her, the pair strolling through the dryer parts of the Bayou, but not too far from the river. Hope had given into Josie's pleas to show her more of where her roots lay.

"Yeah, so instead of turning into wolves at the full moon, the pack would turn into humans instead while being wolves the rest of the time. My mom only escaped it because she was pregnant with me. That was before it was lifted." Hope glanced around the trees and the river nearby, amazed at how much history there was in the area that she had hardly even been a part of.

"Could you imagine what that is like? Didn't you say that the longer you spend in wolf form, the more the wolf takes over?" Josie asked curiously.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what it was like for them. Crescents had always been special because it's one of the first packs; they could show exceptional control in wolf form. But even so, the Crescents only became evolved wolves when my mom went through the unification ritual with my step-dad. She was a hybrid at the time, so she passed her ability to shift at will onto the whole pack." Hope seemed wistful as she explained some of the wolf logistics to Josie, her own mind stooped in memories of the past – or rather the stories she had heard of the past.

"What happened to the Crescents? Shouldn't the pack still be in New Orleans?" Josie continued with her curiosity, most of it simply stemming from her desire to know everything she could about Hope.

"The pack kind of disbanded after my mom… yeah. I'm sure there are still Crescents around, but the pack isn't really a unit anymore." Hope shrugged, wondering herself how many were still left.

"And Keelin? Isn't she a Crescent?" Josie frowned, carefully stepping around some thick swamp undergrowth and feeling her weight sink slightly into the moist ground.

"No, she's from the Malroux bloodline. Her bloodline wasn't a part of the Crescent pack." Hope answered as she slowed down the pace they were walking at, moving deeper and deeper into the Bayou. She could see what seemed like lived-in shacks and tents some distance down the river.

"And you? What bloodline are you from?" Josie smiled sideways at her and matched her pace, then followed her gaze to the signs of occupation in the stretch of swamp they were currently in, unsure of whether they had to be weary or not.

"She's a Lebonaire." An unfamiliar voice spoke behind them, appearing out of nowhere. The girls spun around to observe a young woman, about the same age as the two of them with short black hair and piercing blue eyes. "And the first naturally born tribrid – currently the only of her kind." The girl smiled confidently, but her body language was guarded and her tone had a slightly menacing ring to it. Neither girl received any warm and fuzzy feelings from the stranger.

"Hope Mikaelson. And you are?" Hope half stepped in front of Josie, ready to protect her should the need arise.

"Nimyra. I'm Gastuan." Another strange voice came out of thin air, again behind the pair. When they turned to see the young man who had spoken, this one tall with wild blonde hair, they spotted several others also approaching – all young and clearly agile. They were being surrounded. "And these are Kaylin, Velles, Quin and Dolin." He motioned to the other four nubile characters: two females and two males.

The girls could sense the hostility surrounding them.

"And what about you, pretty?" Nimyra nodded towards Josie. "You have a name?" She grinned more widely as she eyed the dark-haired girl.

"Josette." She answered from behind Hope, moving slightly closer to her companion. If they were about to get into a confrontation, she knew she would need to be within reach of Hope in order to siphon magic from her to use. "Can we help you?"

"Well, for one, you two can get out of our territory." Gastuan stepped slightly closer to the pair, though Hope kept a trained eye on him, even while remaining very aware of the rest as well.

"You're wolves." Hope stated, then nodded towards the blonde male's hand where there sat a golden ring containing a black stone. "With toys. Where'd you get those?" The whole pack seemed to be wearing moonlight rings, which would enable them to shift at will.

"Well, that's not really any of your business, tribrid." Nimyra uttered again with an annoying level of self-confidence as she slowly made her way over to the pair.

"How'd you know who I am?" Hope asked her as she watched the wolf's every movement as she circled herself and Josie.

"We've been keeping tabs on you since you arrived. Saw you last night on Bourbon street. You two are not very discreet with your eyes lit up like that." Nimyra circled once more before coming to stand face to face with Hope and grinned at her, her own eyes slowly starting to glow a bright, electric yellow. "Your tribrid energy is easy to sense, but…" She inhaled deeply and moved over to Josie, leaning slightly closer and inhaling her scent. "You're something else, aren't you?"

Hope's wolf was brimming with agitation within her chest, begging to be let out, especially with the other wolf in such close proximity to her mate. She would rip her limb from limb if she even considered laying a finger on Josie.

"Look, we didn't come here to start anything. We didn't know you were here. I thought the Bayou had been empty since the Crescents left. I'm sorry. Consider us gone, okay?" Hope wasn't about to start a fight with Josie by her side and place her in any sort of danger. She would rather back down and back out than risk it.

"Consider this your final warning, tribrid. If we find you here again, River will make swift work of you." Gastuan growled at Hope as his eyes too matched the glow that started with Nimyra. Hope could easily guess that the character referred to by the imposing male wolf was their alpha.

"Noted." Hope grunted in irritation. She knew very well that even on a bad day she could lay the whole bunch of them to waste, but with Josie at her side she couldn't afford to be arrogant. Her priority was most definitely the younger girl's safety and comfort.

The two girls slowly started backing away into the direction they had originally come from, showing that they had no intention of further aggravating the pack. As they broke through the circle around them, they turned their backs but stayed alert as they quickly walked away.

"A Gemini wolf, by the way, would be something extraordinary…" Nimyra called to the pair, though her words were more specifically aimed at Josie. The siphon glanced over her shoulder at the provocative grin on Nimyra's lips, suddenly very curious as to how she knew exactly what Josie was, however she was happy and eager to get out of the swamp for the time being.

(…)

"You could have taken them." Josie pointed out to Hope as they sat at the kitchen counter back at the house, drinking tea and talking about the experience they had just had to deal with.

"Yeah probably…" Hope sighed and waved one hand through the air. She was clearly irritated. "But I wasn't going to try anything with you there."

"Why not? I can protect myself, Hope." Josie scowled at the older girl, clearly offended.

"Look, I didn't mean to…" Hope started, but Josie quickly cut her off.

"I don't ever want you to be placed in a position where you have to choose between my safety and what's right; the greater good, or whatever." Josie spat, shaking her head. "That's an issue for you and Landon to trudge through. I am NOT him." She nearly growled at Hope as she continued, making sure that she was making herself very clear to the tribrid. "I did not deal with you, in my head, convincing me that I could be good and strong at the same time – just like you – just to have you treat me like some delicate flower."

"Jo, I'm sorry…" Hope tried to apologize to the fuming siphon and reached her hand out to place it on Josie's arm in a soothing gesture. "You're right. You're a badass. I know this. I just… I'm sorry, it was an error in judgement on my behalf," she paused, then tilted her head to make sure Josie would meet her gaze before she continued, "but it was not an error in emotion. I just… I care more than words can explain…"

Josie sighed and allowed herself to soften up a bit. The words were sweet, and the sentiment behind them was genuine as well. She could understand that much at least – that Hope didn't mean to underestimate her, but rather just didn't want anything to hurt her. She knew that she herself would lose it should Hope get hurt.

Finally, Josie relaxed enough to reach for Hope's hand, taking it gently and holding it gingerly within her own two hands and offered her a warm smile. They simply took a few minutes to just look at each other, each taking in as much of the other as they could. Hope allowed herself to get completely lost within those copper-hued eyes of Josie's that seemed to glow brighter as the warmth between them grew. Josie herself could appreciate the increased intensity with which Hope's golden eyes shone back at her the happier the girl felt.

Their few sweet moments of ethereally reaching out towards one another and drinking each other in was finally cut short as Freya entered the kitchen with Nik in her arms, chuckling at the girls as she cast a glance their way. "Again, you know every supernatural creature within a 10-mile radius can feel the energy between you two, right?" Freya had meant it as a joke, but truth be told – that was probably what had caused the Bayou pack to catch onto them.

They reluctantly separated from each other and turned their attention towards the older witch as she settled Nik in his baby chair and then shuffled around the kitchen, grabbing her phone, keys and purse, and other odds and ends. She was looking stunning in a low-cut black cocktail dress, her hair fashionably feathered and her make-up smoldering. "Now are you two sure you'll be okay? He can be a handful." She smirked at the girls and then looked lovingly over at her son.

"We'll be just fine, aunty Freya. Please just go!" There was absolutely no chance that Freya and Keelin were going to pass up the opportunity to have a special date night by themselves while they had two of their very own personal babysitters on standby for an evening.

"Numbers on the fridge. Be back by ten-ish." Freya eyed Hope as she darted towards the door.

As soon as she was gone, Josie grinned over at Hope as Nik started squeaking playfully at his cousin. "Oh, I can't wait to see this!"


	30. Babysitting and Bonding

"Maybe spaghetti wasn't the best idea for supper." Hope huffed and tried to wipe some bolognaise sauce from her face as she looked over to Josie – the girl was howling with laughter, nearly toppling her chair from the motions.

Nik had thought the saucy 'worms' were the best projectiles for his food battle with his cousin. The evening had been spectacularly raucous; well, as much as an evening babysitting a toddler could be. There was screaming and crying, and then there were cries of laughter and squeals of excitement. Games were played, especially Nik's favorite, which was hide and seek. Hope and Josie did not enjoy that one so much, wondering for some time how they were going to explain to the elder witch and werewolf that they had 'misplaced' their son.

There were moments where Hope would watch Josie with her little cousin, making faces at the boy that got more of a grin out of Hope than the toddler, simply because she could die from how cute Josie was. And more than cute, she was sweet and compassionate and absolutely at peace with the little one in her arms. She played with him like a child and scolded him like a loving aunt would, and all of these displays of maternal affection simply gave Hope butterflies of the best kind.

And for just a moment her mind had drifted into a bubble where there was a beautiful homey house with a beautiful green backyard and a beautiful brunette woman running around with two beautiful little children as Hope watched them, chest bursting with love and pride, from the back porch.

And then Hope would catch herself and a chill would run down her spine. Somehow, she did not feel like life would ever afford her such luxuries such as family and peace and happiness. It simply just did not seem to be in the cards she had been dealt. Absolutely nothing in her life up until and including this point had proven otherwise. It just seemed like there would always be another monster to fight, another dark possession to expel, another uprising to quell, another mistake to be made, another love to be lost, another dream to be ruined.

Hope was afraid of happiness because as soon as it seemed as if though she might get a taste of it, it is ripped away most violently. Why should any new opportunity end any differently? Or so she thought, whenever her mind went dark and her fears started to rise up. Fears tended to become most prominent when one was at one's happiest.

And when Hope entered the spare room after her shower, freshly dressed in pajamas and toweling her hair, and she observed bubbly little baby Nik asleep like the gentlest little munchkin in the warmest, comfiest place inside Josie's arms, Hope knew that she had possibly never felt so happy before in her life. Josie rocked Nik gently back and forth as she crooned out a soft song to him, making sure that he was being carried well into dreamland through her arms and her voice. She flashed the most genuinely beautiful smile at Hope as she moved past her and off to the nursery to place Nik down for the night.

When she returned and held out the baby monitor for Hope to take hold off, she paused for a second as she reached for her own towel, also needing a turn in in the shower. "You know… my whole life it has just been me and my dad and Lizzie. We barely get to see mom, but I am grateful for her still being there…" Her smile softened as she approached Hope and lightly fiddled with some of the wet strands of auburn hair hanging down before her shoulder. "You've got something wonderful here…You'll never be alone." Josie lifted her hand to brush her fingers gingerly against Hope's cheek, then turned to head for the bathroom and her own shower.

Maybe Josie was right. Hope had lost herself and her entire universe after first her mother and then her father had died. She had also lost her uncle Elijah. But everyone who remained – Freya, Keelin, Rebekah, Marcel, Kol, Davina… and those were only the closest members of her family. Her family was large and strong, and her family stretched beyond just the Mikaelsons. Her family had roots. She had the Lebonaires and the Kenners as well, and she was sure that should she seek them out and howl out for them to come together…

No. No they wouldn't. How could they? Why would they follow Hope? A tribrid freak? The reason for her mother's death? The reason that the Crescent Alpha had died. If Hope could not even forgive herself for the part she had played in her mother's death, how could any of them? It was a stupid and unrealistic notion.

And just like that; the fear Hope experienced drove her in on herself, made her hide away within the strongest parts of herself, just so that she can somehow feel safe while believing she was weak; somehow feel protected while she felt utterly.

"Hey, why are you a million miles away?" Josie had already returned from her shower, now dressed comfily and towel-drying those long dark locks of hair of hers. She seemed to glow from happiness. Hope wished she could do that for just once in her life.

"How do you do that?" Hope asked with a frown and yet a pleasantly confused smile on her face as she stepped towards Josie and let her hands come to rest gently on the other girl's hips.

"Do what, exactly?" Josie frowned and pouted just a little, making it hard for Hope to focus.

"Just look so content that it feels infectious." Hope sighed in responses.

"I don't know, maybe because I am content right now." Josie uttered softly and brushed past Hope, wriggling out of her arms in order to hang up her towel to dry and grab her hairbrush to untangle her dark mane as Hope watched her.

"Don't you ever… I don't know… Get scared?" Hope shrugged as she sat down on Josie's bed.

"Scared? Of what exactly?" Josie asked in return.

Hope bit her bottom lip for a second, thinking about how to design the words just right before they left her mouth. "Scared of… losing the things that make you feel so content?"

Josie paused and looked over to Hope where she sat, on her hands like a worried little girl no less, and smiled softly. "We're only scared of loss because we value the things we are scared of losing. If there was no fear, there would be no value in anything. Nothing would be special and truly worth living for – fighting and dying for – whether win or lose. I've met some special people in my mother's life that have taught me that it's exactly because we can lose something at any time that we must learn the value of it and appreciate it for its value in every moment of the present. Always."

"I guess that is a pretty wise philosophy." Hope acknowledged as the two girls, comfy, clean and cozy now, moved downstairs and into the kitchen for some hot cocoa. "Is that like the preventative measure for the line 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone'?" She chuckled and set out two cups for them.

Josie took a seat at the counter and eyed Hope conspicuously. "Your thoughts are pretty deep tonight. Want to tell me what's weighing them down?"

Hope snapped a look back at Josie over her shoulder so fast that she thought she might break her neck. "What, no, I'm fine." She shook her head and went back to making their hot beverages.

"Except for the fact that we were exploring your pack's old territory today just to find it reoccupied by a new pack." Josie quirked a brow at Hope, challenging her to argue.

She didn't. Instead she sighed and placed a steaming cup of cocoa on the kitchen counter for each of them and took her seat next to Josie. "I don't have a pack, Josie. The Crescents are disbanded. I have never felt an affinity for the North East Atlantic pack, and I don't fit into the pack at school. I'm your very typical lone wolf."

"But why, Hope? You were born to be an alpha. It's in your blood and it's in your personality. Why won't you step up to the plate?"

"Josie, being part of a pack is a familial bond that is stronger than just being a bunch of idiots that group together. Your pack becomes your entire life – your family, your whole world, whether they're blood or not. And being the alpha of that pack means that all of the responsibility for providing for that pack and keeping that pack safe falls squarely on your shoulders. Maybe someday I'll be capable of all that… but right now… It's just a terrifying thought…"

Josie nodded in understanding and reached one hand out to rest on top of Hope's, eyes carefully seeking out their counterparts. "Okay, but why be the lone wolf? Even if not being the alpha of a pack… why don't you belong to one? I mean, okay, I know you said the Crescents and the North Easts… but what about the Salvatore School pack? Wouldn't you be much happier if you had a group like that to belong to?"

Hope sighed deeply and seemed to think about it for a moment, but soon enough she shook her head. "I'm not the same as them. I know it. They know it. They won't accept me."

"So really you don't feel any different than I do? Weary of being an outcast because we're not part of the 'norm', whatever that really means in this world we live in." Josie scoffs, sort of disappointed in both of them together, due to the mere fact that they would allow others to dictate their feelings of self-worth. She knew it wasn't right.

"You do know you won't be the first wolf-witch hybrid, right?" Hope smirked at Josie and bumped her shoulder lightly. "Nik even is born a hybrid. Wolf-witch hybrids are just very rare because witches tend to think so lowly of wolves." Hope arched a brow at Josie, specifically, but non-verbally, referring to some of the treatment that the wolves have received at the school at the hands of witches.

Josie pinked a little bit at the accusation and shrugged her shoulders. "The witches are the bitches; we all know that." She grinned, especially considering the irony due to the fact that both Josie and Hope were witches as well. "I am, however, the first witch to be turned into a wolf-hybrid somehow without being born with the curse. That's the tricky part, remember?"

"Hope pursed her lips in thought and nodded, then smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess that would be my fault, wouldn't it?" She leaned slightly closer and giggled as she joked, "What can I say, you get my wolf all excited and stuff…"

Josie leaned in the rest of the way, purposefully adding a sultry tone to her voice as she whispered against Hope's cheek, "Well, you get my wolf all sorts of excited as well…" She then placed a soft kiss to the warm skin her lips found there, causing a shiver to run down Hope's spine. Josie then leaned over to the other cheek and lightly nuzzled her nose into Hope's neck, right below her jawline, as she whispered further. "I'm going back to the Bayou tomorrow…"

At the last whispered words, Hope's eyes snapped open and she quickly tugged her head back to look Josie in the eyes. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." Josie stated simply and downed the last little bit of the contents in the cup she had been nursing, then stood from her chair at the kitchen counter and moved towards the lounge.

Hope left her cup forgotten as she scrambled after Josie, crossing her arms defiantly as she came to stand before Josie where she had just taken a seat on the couch. "No. You. Are. Not. End of story. That pack made it very clear we were not welcome and we have already discussed how territorial wolves are."

"Yeah…but it's your territory." Josie shrugged and leaned back into the soft pillows of the couch. It's where Hope had been sleeping since they arrived.

"Not anymore…" Hope's flashing eyes looked a little angry and a little harsh in the moment as she eyes Josie carefully. "They will hurt you."

"Nimyra knows something about my coven and about me being changed into a wolf. I need to talk to her, Hope. I'm serious." Josie got comfortable on the couch, not seemingly particularly bothered by Hope's protests.

"Well, over my dead body will you be going alone…" Hope growled out, upset, and flopped down next to Josie, her mind already reeling with images of a bloody battle that could ensue. All she could do was hope that it wouldn't come to that. Maybe they could just meet with the female wolf and leave before the rest joined the fray.

Even as petulant as Hope seemed in that second, Josie still grinned and patted the couch next to her, motioning for Hope to join her. "Now come on, grumpypants. Can we watch Twilight and you can explain to me hoe imprinting works." She joked.

"WE DON'T IMPRINT!" Hope whined loudly, although she realized something – seemingly at the same time as Josie.

"Except when you have a twin flame." The younger girl smirked and wagged her brows, causing Hope to turn a nice bright shade of pink in her cheeks and down her neck. Josie so badly just wanted to kiss it all away again. Or kiss and make it worse.

"Shut up and move over." Hope moaned and crawled up to lie next to Josie on the large couch with it's soft and comfy pillows, pulling a fluffy blanket with her. It didn't take long before Josie had crawled into her arms and were cuddling her tightly as they let the movie play, neither of them paying too much attention to it.

While Josie contemplated the words the young she-wolf in the Bayou had let fly at her and how she needed some answers, Hope tightened her grip around the brunette just a little more tightly, considering the value of her connection to Josie and how hard she was willing to fight for it… and whether she was willing to accept the fact that she may still lose.

Would she cover herself in happiness and follow her heart?

Or would she crack under the fear and follow her mind?


	31. Crescent

"Have I expressed my complete aversion to this idea lately?" Hope scrunched up her nose as she trudged through the Bayou just slightly in front of Josie, the two headed in the direction of the camp of the pack of wolves they encountered the previous day.

"Well no, I think it's been a whole five minutes since the last time. Better do it again to make up for lost time." Josie snarked at Hope sarcastically, though she was really just messing around with her. Clearly, she herself lacked much of the weariness and doubt that Hope was experiencing.

Josie couldn't quite put her finger on it or explain it, but there was just something about the group of youngsters that reassured her. She didn't feel like they were to be feared, even when they were threatening the girls. They seemed to be acting more out of anxiety and self-defense than anything else. Josie got a sense about them akin to the feeling that they were more like a small group of lost puppies than a pack of fearsome wolves.

Hope, however, was tense. It rippled through her every muscle as she kept her body ready for any sort of surprise attack. She felt jumpy at every little leaf that hit the ground, or twig that would snap beneath their feet. She would stay weary and aware at all times, ready, determined to keep Josie safe at all costs.

"You two looking for little ol' me?" Hope sensed the presence before she spoke and stepped protectively in front of Josie, both of them turning when they heard the voice.

"Are you alone?" Josie spoke up as she stepped out from behind Hope.

"For now." Nimyra answered as she perched herself on a nearby log. "You better speak fast."

Hope allowed Josie to approach the she-wolf, but made sure that there remained enough distance between the two should the wolf turn hostile. She kept her guard up and looked around repeatedly for any signs of the rest of the pack, while Josie had her much-desired conversation.

Hope hated this with vehemence, though she had promised Josie she would not treat her as if she were a helpless damsel. She respected her enough to agree to that much.

"What do you know about the Geminis?" Josie asked, her eyes focused on the set of ice blue ones before her.

"Well now that's a boring question, and not the question you really came here to ask." Nimyra scoffed and stood from her perch, idly walking around the fallen tree. "You want answers to the unasked questions, Josette. Like… what is likely to happen to you as a Gemini twin if you were to turn into a hybrid." She smirked, her smile as smart and sharp as the look in her eyes.

"How did you even know I was one?" Josie asked, a deep scowl settling in on her brow.

"I could sense it." Nimyra shrugged and Josie looked even more confused.

"She's one of those rare hybrids I told you about." Hope interjected, finally realizing what Nimyra was and why she was so intuitive around the girls. It wasn't just the wolf in her, but also the witch magic she held.

"Indeed." Nimyra continued to pace idly, kicking up some leaves here, or running her fingers along a tree there. Finally, she meandered back to the fallen tree stump and rested one foot atop it, leaning her body onto her bent knee in support. "The only difference between you and I, Josette, is that you're not fully a hybrid yet. I guess you could blame your tribrid 'friend' for that one."

"You do NOT want to piss me off, wolf-witch." Hope spat at her; nerves coiled like a spring ready to be released.

"No, I don't. So why are you so goddamn touchy? Geez…" The girl laughed at Hope, then returned her grin to Josie. "So, here's a little bit of juicy information that you might appreciate." She paused for effect, just waiting to see the smallest twitch of anticipation in Josie's pouty lips before she continued. "When, or if, you do become a full hybrid before you turn 22, you won't have to go through with the merger. If you become a full hybrid, you will no longer be eligible. Your twin will automatically assume leadership of the coven, without consuming you or your power."

Josie inhaled deeply, suddenly feeling light headed. Was the solution they had been looking for – the loophole that their mother had been traveling for all over the world for so long – really that simple? "How do you know this? It can't be that easy. What's the catch?"

"It's not that big a deal, unless you're feeling sentimental." Nimyra shrugged and scratched at her head. "You'd get kicked from the coven. But from what I've heard it's not like there's much of a coven to get kicked from anyway. But the bottom line is that as long as you have a wolf inside of you, you will have an alpha, and in order to have an alpha you have to renounce all other forms of authority, such as a coven."

"What? That's bullshit." Hope chimed in from one side. "None of this has applied to me."

"First of all, Mikaelson," Nimyra sneered at the tribrid who was still raking her eyes through the trees and underbrush, "You don't have a coven or an alpha. Secondly, you're the progenitor of a new bloodline. The same rules don't quite apply to you."

"And speaking of alphas…" A collection of 6 other wolves emerged from the trees surrounding them: one more than the day before.

"What the hell are you doing on my pack's territory?" The young man was slightly older than the rest of his wolves, his hair black and messy in its short style; his eyes were as black as night.

That was until they started glowing a deep golden hue as he slowly approached the two girls.

"River, please don't eat my new friends." Nimyra smirked past the girls at her alpha, speaking her words jokingly.

"Well maybe your friends should have listened yesterday when I warned them not to come back." This time it was Gastuan who spoke in a low growl, his own bright yellow eyes focused on the two girls. Now even though Josie didn't feel particularly alarmed by the gang in general, she could sense something quite menacing about this wolf.

And so could Hope, not about to be told off so simply. "Do you always let your betas speak for you?" She sneered at River, though her golden gaze was locked on Gastuan. "Or, my bad, are you the omega of the pack?"

It was just enough provocation to light the fuse within Gastuan that he needed to push him to suddenly lunge at Hope. He swung at Hope, canines bared threateningly, but Hope quickly used his own momentum against him as she let him swing and miss, then grabbed his arm, twisted it, and locked it behind his back. She growled threateningly in return into his ear as she kicked the back of one of his knees, causing him to kneel into the ground. He yelped but quickly reached back with his free hand, grabbing the much smaller girl by her shoulder with his claws as he bent low and flipped her forwards and over him, causing her to land on her back by his feet, the wind being audibly knocked from her chest.

"Atque unguibus aureis!" The chant came from Josie a few feet away. She had one hand clasped around Nimyra's wrist and glowing red, while the other hand made a striking motion towards Gastuan. In a sickening slashing sound, it was as if though two invisible bear claws had gashed through his shirt and over his back, ripping his skin open and causing him to howl in pain.

The distraction was enough to allow Hope to regain the upper hand. From her position on her back with her head at his feet, she brough her knees up to her shoulders as she rolled back and locked her legs behind Gastuan's, then brought her feet back down to the ground forcefully. This caused the larger wolf to topple forwards and without a second's hesitation, Hope was on top of his back, once again capturing and locking his one arm in a vice-like grip in order to restrain him as he lay face down in the dirt.

Then something caught her eye.

Sitting there, on Gastuan's right shoulder as she could see through his ripped shirt, sat an auspicious birthmark. It was a crescent moon on the darker backdrop of a cloud.

"You're a Crescent." She gasped and let him go, stumbling backwards.

"We all are." Nimyra smirked as she pulled her wrist from Josie's distracted grasp. Josie quickly glanced over and looked as if she wanted to apologize, but swallowed it down quickly as the wolf-witch winked at her. "We're what's left."

"What do you mean, 'what's left'?" Hope asked, almost struggling to breathe as she glanced around at the pack in confusion, searching for an answer in one face before the next.

"The pack disbanded after your mother died and went back to normal life, Mikaelson." River cut in as he moved closer to the injured, but healing, Gastuan where he remained planted in the ground. "But the story does not end there and does not have a happy ending." He paused and grabbed his beta by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet. The alpha wolf looked as if though he was exceptionally irritated by the other male's behavior.

"Then tell me the story!" Hope's tone had an edge to it now, as if she was not far from panicking at the wave of realizations crashing in upon her. Josie quickly moved closer and slipped her hand into Hope's for comfort.

"Everyone thought that the Quarter and the city was returned to the witch and human factions almost three years ago, but some creatures are talented at staying hidden in the dark, or just out of view, until the correct opportunity presents itself." River stepped closer to Hope now, rubbing his hands together as if to cleanse them of the dust that hung thick in the air still. "A new pack formed, a rogue pack that was a mix between wolves and hybrids – the vampire kind. They wanted to stake a claim in the council, return a third of the city to their pack by heading off the Werewolf faction. In order to realize this eventual goal, they decided that the city had to be cleansed first – and that meant getting rid of all remaining splintered packs in the area."

Eventually River started circling Hope upon reaching her, watching her closely, studying her from top to toe and consequently doing the same to Josie. "Our families were hunted and killed; our parents; our brothers and sisters – anyone and everyone who had not left the city before. We are the ones who escaped… just the seven of us. We keep low and out of the pack's way. We take care of ourselves, and of each other, now."

He came to stop in front of Hope to face her once he was done circling the pair, then smirked and held out his arms. "We are the new Crescent pack." He then turned around and stepped away from the girls, allowing Hope a moment to digest what he had just told her and allowing Josie to basically hold her together while she did this.

"Hope, the Crescents are your pack…" Josie whispered to her, though with all the keen wolf-hearing surrounding them her words were heard by everyone. And one by one, their eyes lit up threateningly. The brightest of all were River's when he turned back around to gaze at the pair, grinning as he showed his protruding incisors. "Oh no, this is MY pack, and I don't give two shits about Hope Lebonair's birthright!" He gave another step or two closer to the dumbfounded Hope and growled, "If you want this pack, you'll have to earn it the good old fashioned way." River braced himself then, as if preparing himself for a physical confrontation with Hope. The rest of the pack, one by one, shifted around them; massive wolves taking their threatening stance in a circle around the girls as deep growls reverberated in their chests.

"I suggest you either fight or get the hell out of here right now, ladies." Nimyra called from her perch as the only member of the pack who hadn't shifted. A pack of wolves was even stronger if they had a magic user amongst them.

"Come on…" Hope muttered to Josie as she squeezed her hand, holding it tighter and tugging her away from the wolves.

"Hope, why?" Josie tried to tug her back. "This is your chance. This pack is rightfully yours." Josie frowned at Hope, pleading with her eyes. "Step. Up."

Even through their golden sheen, Hope's eyes looked a rough mixture of emotions – sad, angry, terrified…

"We're leaving." She said firmly and with finality.


	32. Mirrors

"Why is it not something you can just consider, Hope?" Josie cried out at the other girl in frustration, the two of them still in the car they borrowed from Hope's aunts to get around in, on their way back to the house.

"Why should I, Josie? I don't know them whatsoever! They could be bad people for all we know." Hope answered in equal measures of frustration. The two had been arguing since they had left the Bayou and their tempers were rising more quickly with every passing minute.

"They're Crescents. You know as well as I do that they are just simple – and decent – people. I could sense it and I KNOW that you could as well." Josie fired back, getting so extremely tired of Hope's half-assed excuses to not be who she was born to be.

"Even if that's the case, Jo, I still don't know them. How am I supposed to build the familial bond that comes with pack life with a bunch of strangers?" Hope shook her head and stepped just a little harder on the gas pedal in order to speed through an amber light.

"Simple, Hope – you get to know them. That's generally how people make friends, ya know." Josie snarked and gripped the edge of her seat in response to Hope's speeding.

"I don't want to. I don't need to. Why should I? I've got what I need." Hope dismissed in response.

Josie glanced over to Hope next to her and scowled, then chuckled darkly. "We both know that's just a lie you like to tell yourself. Yeah, you have family and you have friends, sure. But you're a goddamn wolf, Hope, and you come from two very long bloodlines of not just wolves, but of alphas. Simply saying you don't need to, because you've got what you need, is a damn copout and you know it!"

Hope snapped her glowing eyes back at Josie when she came to a sharp stop in the driveway of the house. "Why does this even mater so much to you?" She frowned deeply, extremely aggravated by Josie's persistence.

"Because I'm not just going to stand by and watch you not reach your full potential." Josie spat as she exited the car, slamming the door a little too harshly. "You are the single most amazing person I have ever met in my life, and I am so unbelievably proud of who and what you are." Her voice softened then as she stepped around the car towards Hope. "But you are not yet who you're meant to be. And if I care about you the way that I do, it's my job to push you in that direction."

Hope froze, staring back at Josie, her heart pounding in her ears. Even though Josie was trying to do good and to help Hope, all she was currently achieving was to intensify the fear that Hope felt overtaking her chest like cancer, growing and twisting through muscle and sinew and twisting around her ribs, hampering her ability to breathe.

"You could assume the alpha position of the pack and leave River in charge, come back for them. But they're in danger here and I don't see why they cannot come back with us to the school. They're our age, some of them probably haven't even finished their schooling yet. You could lead them to a new and better life."

The tangles of anxiety tightened further in Hope's chest as she listened and considered what Josie was saying. Her? Lead a pack? Provide for and protect them? Until the next big bad guy comes along and executes them? Is she supposed to grow attached to these wolves and build up her pack as alpha, only to inevitably lose them again? Is she supposed to just agree to such heartache? How much heartache would she have to experience before she breaks completely?

Hope's thoughts and emotions quickly spun out of control as she leaned onto the hood of the car for support.

"I can't do this right now." Hope muttered lowly. She felt like she might pass out.

"Hope, just – " Josie started but she was immediately cut short.

"I SAID I CAN'T DO THIS!" Hope growled out, almost shouting at Josie, before turning and starting to run. Josie could see Hope taking a leap as she reached the side of the house, clothes shredding from her body as her wolf burst through them. In a single white flash Hope was gone, running off into the forest adjoining the back of Freya and Keelin's property.

(…)

Josie was sitting right next to Hope on the couch and yet she had never felt so far away from her.

They were faced with Freya and Keelin who had wanted to talk to them about everything else they had uncovered before the two girls were set to return to school the following day. Josie's stomach had been doing unbearable flip-flops because of it and all she wanted to do was hold Hope's hand.

Hope, however, had wrapped herself in an airtight bubble since their argument that afternoon. In fact, she seemed like she was in a daze ever since she returned from her run. She was completely quiet and withdrawn from everyone in the house, though she had admitted to her aunts what they had uncovered in the Bayou. The older women reserved their own opinions on the matter, aware of the fact that their time was passing while Hope's time was rising, and she was the only one who could decide what to do with what she was presented with.

"Before we tell you what we're about to, we have to admit that we've known more than we've been letting on for a while. It's not that we were purposefully trying to hide information from you, but we were not sure whether you'd be ready to receive the information." Freya started off, then looked to her wife next to her to continue.

"We wanted to see you two interact. We needed to observe the bond that exists between you in order to find the best way to explain the information to you. And regardless of our feelings on any of this, it is completely up to you what you decide to do with the information." Keelin smiled softly. She didn't want them to think that there was terrible news awaiting them, but the conversation would be a serious one none the less.

"You girls must understand first and foremost that there are a lot of factors at play here, and everything fits together like a puzzle, and every one aspect has an effect on every other aspect. Please do ask questions if you get confused." Freya reassured the two as she joined Keelin in presenting them with an encouraging smile.

"We've already explained a lot of the twin flame connection between the two of you. It does have its role that it plays in this whole ordeal – It was Hope's wolf that uncovered the connection and therefore initiated the bonding that took place between you two. This bonding is what allows Josie to experience some lycan symptoms, such as the glowing eyes, the anger outbursts and willful dominance, and of course the cracking bones during the full moon. You need to understand that this is very uncommon and is only happening because of your twin flame connection." Keelin explained slowly and carefully, then paused to look from the one girl to the other. "There is absolutely no breaking of a twin flame connection. As you've been told, twin flames are two parts of one soul. That soul will fight to unite itself, even if you fight against it."

"Even while the two of you, on a conscious level, might still be figuring out the ins and outs of your relationship and feelings towards each other, your wolves have other plans. Because your wolves are so primeval and instinctual, they are mostly the ones driving you two together to unite and complete the bond that they started. Your wolves have found their mate in each other and that's that. Just like the twin flame soul fighting to unite itself, your wolves will join in the fight to unite the two of you." Freya took her turn to speak and emphasized what she felt was needed to be emphasized, that mostly being the fact that the girls' wolves were very much in charge of their emotions – conscious or not.

"Now, should it be what you decide to do eventually, the obvious way to complete the bond initiated by your wolves is through the unification ceremony. However, there's a slight difference." Keelin inhaled deeply and slowly let out the air as she tried to get her explanation in order. "Modern day unification rituals, like the one that took place between your mother and Jackson, "Keelin motioned to Hope, "very much resemble a normal wedding and a general marriage between two people. There is a big difference, for wolves, between a wedding and-or a marriage, and a true unification. Any wolf can get married, sign the papers, etcetera, but a true unification involves a type of antiquated mating ritual that is much more primordial and draws back to the start of the first bloodlines. Remember – wolves mate for life, and so a true unification is rooted more in a type of mystical unifying moment between the bodies, minds and souls of the two parties, rather than the type of unification rituals we are used to that was mostly done for solidifying power between packs."

"Is this what you two did?" Hope asked, confused. They were the first words anyone had heard the girl speak since that afternoon.

Freya shook her head slowly, though she reached for Keelin's hand and gently entwined their fingers. "What we share is still as special as any loving bond between two people, but no. Certain conditions have to be met in order for the true unification rites to take place."

Keelin nodded and again gazed thoughtfully from one girl to the other, as if to check whether they were still doing okay and were ready to receive the next bit of information that she would offer. "First off, this only happens with a twin flame connection. Because of the transcendental nature of the connection between the two individuals to begin with, it's the only time that such a transcendental type of ritual is used."

Keelin then settled her gaze on Hope and the girl knew what was coming. Her stomach started aching. "And secondly," Keelin began, keeping her focus on the girl, "At least one of the two parties needs to be an alpha."

Hope felt like she might throw up.

Josie inhaled deeply next to the tribrid and felt the blood in her veins run cold. What this essentially meant, as she could piece it all together, was that the entire future of their possible relationship and soul-binding connection rested on whether or not Hope Mikaelson had the guts to step up to the plate and be an alpha of her own pack. It was like their afternoon argument all over again, playing out mockingly in the back of Josie's head.

"I'm sorry Hope, but it's about to get even more difficult." Freya uttered softly to her niece as she could see how her face paled. She leaned forward and took Hope's hand for just a moment to squeeze it encouragingly. She then smiled softly – or was that sadly – at Josie and leaned back, allowing time for Keelin to explain the crux of the situation.

"It is also only through completing this unification that Josie will be able to complete her transition into a full hybrid. Until then, the lycanthropic symptoms will continue." Keelin explained as she watched Josie closely, watching as the girl let it sink in.

Now it was Josie's turn to feel like she couldn't breathe. Unless Hope decided to step up, she herself was doomed to struggle through tell-tale glowing eyes and fits of anger and cracking bones. Josie scratched at her chest and her throat then, as if she needed to make more holes to let the oxygen through. She didn't even want to look at Hope.

Hope for her part was stunned. She had come to the same realization that Josie had – that basically she was most definitely responsible for what Josie was going through, but as if that level of guilt was not enough, she now also had to suffer through the guilt of knowing that she could not simply solve Josie's agony unless she faced her own demons first.

It was utterly overwhelming.

"There is a possible way to help somewhat – a way that could possibly buy you guys just a little bit of time as you digest all of this and work through it." Freya spoke after a while, noticing with pain settling in her own chest that neither of the two girls seated before them were doing okay at that moment. "Josie, I could use a spell to isolate your wolf within your subconscious and stop it from trying to break through. It would take away the symptoms: the eyes, the anger, the pain."

"So why not just do that then?" Hope spoke quickly. Too quickly. Josie snapped her gaze towards the other girl and hurt and anger flashed through her copper hues. How dare Hope? How dare she be so quick to make such a decision on Josie's behalf when she wasn't even willing to consider Josie's suggestions that afternoon! She wanted to snap at Hope. She wanted to scream at her. She wanted to express just how hurt and disappointed she felt. This Hope before her at the moment was not the Hope she fell in love with.

Instead of saying anything she wanted to, she simply turned her gaze away from Hope and back to Freya and swallowed hard. "What's the catch?"

Freya sighed and shrugged slowly. There was always some sort of catch. "Well, like any magic, it has a certain level of unpredictability. I don't know how long it will last or exactly whether it will be effective enough. Your wolf could just break through it again, but I reckon I'm more familiar with your little beast now in order to adjust the spell accordingly." She smirked for a second, but it soon faded and she seemed worried as she kept her gaze locked on Josie. "You know how repressed memories can sometimes burst forth at unexpected times with traumatic force? Well, your repressed wolf could do the same, as it would essentially function like a repressed memory." She paused then and inhaled sharply before adding the last bit. "Or, at other times, some repressed memories… well they… can disappear forever." Freya spoke softly, implying that Josie could lose her wolf completely, though a lot of what might happen was unknown. The possibility was definitely there.

"Isn't that what you wanted? What you preferred? Not being a hybrid? Not being an outcast?" Hope directed her words at Josie, as if she wanted to grab onto this alternative measure and run with it so that she wouldn't have to stress about being an alpha and committing herself for the rest of her life at the tender age of 18.

Josie's eyes flashed dangerously at Hope right then. A litany of insults flew through her head: 'Screw you!' being the most prominent, though she said nothing. She couldn't believe how it just seemed in one single second that Hope had not paid a moment's attention to Josie and how she truly felt and what she truly wanted since this had all started. Hope was apparently clueless as to the fact that Josie wanted to be with her, that she loved her, that she was in love with her and wanted to be with her in all shapes and forms and that Josie herself was willing to give away everything she was and all comforts she held – even her status as a Gemini witch – all for Hope.

And if Hope had been listening carefully enough, she would have been able to hear Josie's heart shattering into millions of pieces as she rushed past Hope and out of the room.


	33. Reflections

It had been a few days since Hope and Josie returned from New Orleans and about just as many that they last spoke to one another. For a pair that was bonded in such a unique way, they had never felt farther apart from each other than they did now.

Josie had spent what seemed like countless hours in the arms of her father and her sister, seeking their comfort and encouragement as she needed it more than anything. Lizzie was livid on the surface with the way Hope had hurt her twin and had used the previous few days constructively to come up with a whole range of new degrading nicknames for the tribrid; her favorite was wolf-whimp, of course – though Josie begged her to never actually use it. Despite the hurt and the frustration at Hope running away from her destiny, Josie was so sure that she could not run forever, and she would still rather offer her support and push her in the right direction than cause her more reason to feel like she was not enough to handle all the responsibility.

And despite Lizzie's anger on the surface, deeper down she was sad more than anything else. She had started growing very fond of Hope ever since they started building a friendship some months ago, and though she loved telling both Hope and Josie that there was no way she would approve of the two of them being an item, it was actually all she wanted (but would never admit). She felt that they somehow completed one another and that the one's weakness were the other one's strengths. She felt they needed each other and that together they could achieve so much more than they ever could alone. She also was not blind to the emotions shown by either and their yet to be proclaimed love was the kind of love that truly was written in the stars. The example they set gave Lizzie hope for her own future happiness.

Hope, on the other hand, was having a whole different and unforeseen problem on her end ever since their trip. Initially her stressors were limited to being mated for life at 18 and serving as the alpha of her own werewolf pack, or watching the girl she cared about more than anything suffer. But Josie had allowed Freya to repress her wolf in her subconscious and Hope would be lying if she had said she didn't feel relief because of it. She needed the time desperately to get her head straight. She didn't want Josie to suffer and her guilt at the part that she had played in all of it was honestly eating her up inside. There was not even a world in which she felt deserving of Josie's love for her.

And as if she knew that her response to the whole ordeal was wrong, her own wolf had seemed to disappear along with Josie's. Hope could not explain it, but it felt as if a massive part of her was just gone. She couldn't feel her wolf's emotions: its anger and frustration, or its excitement at seeing Josie, or its desire to run and hunt. Hope had even gone out into the woods to wolf out the other night and literally found herself unable to. It was as if she was having a massive case of performance anxiety. Either that or her wolf was too angry and too sad at being cut off from Josie's wolf and having to face the prospect of possibly losing her.

Hope's wolf was being a moody teenager for sure.

Even so, it was exceptionally bothersome as it weakened her. Along with her wolf hiding away somewhere deep inside of her, she also found that she was unable to tap into her wolf abilities. She did not have the speed or the strength or the keen ears and eyes that she had gotten used to. More importantly, she had no rapid healing, which made her exceptionally vulnerable for the time being. Hope was starting to realize that it was as if the universe was trying to direct her journey, and while she thought she was running away from the issues and the problems – by doing so she was rather running towards the real problems.

Hope was Oedipus Rex and she was about to dive head first into her own ruin by trying to avoid it.

Avoiding Josie had been difficult and not entirely successful as the school was only so big. Hope would still catch a glimpse of the younger girl here and there – eyes would lock, non-verbal cues would be sent and received, and then avoidance would continue. Every time Hope saw those dark chocolate eyes looking over at her, she could feel her heart melt within her chest. The sadness in those eyes were so unnervingly clear and it made the grief within Hope's own eyes only more obvious. She was grieving, no doubt – her youth, her parents, her freedom, her confidence, her wolf, and her mate.

Hope had suffered so much heartache in her life and it was what she was trying to avoid. But she couldn't help but start to feel that it was her own actions that lead to the problems created that circled the heartache and gave it life. Her messing with her mom to get her dad's attention, leading to her consequential execution. Her absorbing the darkness and being possessed leading to her father's death in his attempt to save her. And again, now it was as if she was facing several doors and she had to choose one – the question was just which one would lead to Josie's salvation, and which one would lead to her destruction.

Hope was overcome by the sense of responsibility. And despite all of these choices, it still seemed as if all paths lead to Josie. Everything was bout Josie. There were moments where Hope believed that everything had always been about Josie and that they always would be. A big question had been answered by her aunts – that it was indeed their wolves that drew them to one another so magnetically. And now the question was – what was the deal without that component? Did they still feel the same? Hope had no idea how Josie truly felt about her now after everything. Could she even be able to love Hope? Did Hope love her at all? She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about anything anymore.

And as if that wasn't enough, there was Landon to contend with again. By the time the girls returned to school they found that Landon had been released from his cell after Emma took charge and with the help of the others came to the satisfying conclusion that it really was him that had returned. Landon was back to normal, going to class and hanging out with Rafael like it was just a few months ago. And the other thing that he clearly wanted to recreate the way it was a few months ago, was his relationship with Hope. The pressure simply kept mounting on the poor tribrid.

(…)

Hope and Josie discovered their requests to be escorted to the festivities at about the same time, but in different forms.

With everything that had happened and all the losses that had been suffered (but thankfully restored), Emma insisted that a dance be held in celebration of these victories; thus The Victory Dress-up Dance was brought to life, the theme being great figures of love and war throughout the ages – real or fictional.

Hope had received a single white rose tied to a rolled-up parchment. When she split the edges of the paper in order to read the message inside, she was half impressed that the whole invitation was written with quill and ink, but had to laugh at the terrible use of old-English. The message was one from "King Arthur", requesting the young "Lady Guinevere" to allow him the pleasure of her company to the festivities at "Camelot", where he would show her all that his kingdom had to offer in his efforts to win her hand in marriage. It was all very sarcastic and very cute at the same time.

Josie, on the other hand, was lying in the grass and staring up at the fluffy clouds drifting by, a certain vampire by her side that would not allow her to continue to isolate herself the way she had been. It took Jade some time and effort, but eventually she had managed to crack through the worst of Josie's shell, and god knew that Josie needed someone who wasn't scared to dote on her at the moment. Chatting and laughing as they strolled and played around by the lake, talks eventually turned to literature (Jade was an avid reader and a connoisseur of fine literary works) and she was busy explaining the concept of Nimue being the Lady of the Lake and how she was the one who provided the future king of Camelot, Arthur, with the sword Excalibur.

Josie had told Jade how the character sounded strong, dangerous and intriguing – just like her. She insisted then that Jade had to go to the dance as The Lady of the Lake. Jade loved the idea, but insisted that Josie join her in something fitting, such as Merlin the great wizard! Josie was not fond of the idea that Nimue eventually dispatched of Merlin, to which Jade then suggested she be King Arthur instead, but again Josie had an issue with how Arthur was too simple and trusting, which lead to his downfall. However, she then thought… Wouldn't it be fun to go as Lancelot rather? She would love to be able to swing a sword around, after all.


	34. Ricochet

When Hope opened her eyes it was dark, but the moon was high in the sky and, even though not full, provided enough light for her keen eyes to see by. She knew something was different – something that had been missing was now present. She moved from her sleeping position and realized she was on all fours.

No, she was on all paws. She had wolfed out!

A sudden surge of exhilaration filled her from the tip of her tongue to the tip of her tail as she immediately started running. It was intoxicating – the way she could feel the soil between her paw pads every time she kicked up dirt as she ran, or how she could taste the sweet and humid air all around her as her tongue lolled out of her mouth, or how she could pick up the scent of every stray creature or nearby plant or tree. Hope was in her element as she weaved between the trees, like a needle and snow-white thread.

She picked up speed and thundered through the woods until her muscles ached and her chest heaved and she was panting heavily from trying to catch her breath. She slowed down as she tried to sniff the air and find her way around; point herself in the right direction. Something was strange about her surroundings.

Before she knew what had hit her, she was thrown onto the ground with great strength and rolled over a few times before she came to a stop. She had barely opened her eyes or moved a limb in order to jump up and protect herself against her attacker, when she found herself pinned down by a large, black wolf with shining copper eyes.

Josie?

Hang on…

Hope whined in confusion as Josie growled threateningly at her, not yet willing to move to let Hope get up. The white wolf continued to lay perfectly still as she tried to piece everything together. She idly glanced around them again and realized why the woods she had been running through were both familiar and unusual to her at the same time.

She was in Josie's subconscious. Which meant that this was a dream. A very lucid dream. Hope knew that twin flames could share dreams, as her and Josie had proven before and not too long ago while they were in New Orleans. But that meant Josie was asleep and dreaming with her, was she not?

Why would Josie's wolf attack Hope's?

Looking closer at the glowing copper orbs, it seemed like the wolf was not recognizing Hope at all. In fact, the longer she studied the black beast, the more dazed and confused it seemed with who either of them was. Josie seemed almost completely feral and was most likely attacking Hope simply to protect her territory.

Josie wasn't lucid, Hope figured. She had to get Josie lucid.

Josie growled deeply again and Hope pushed past the threatening snarl in a show of courage as she carefully sniffed at Josie's muzzle, then slowly licked at her mouth.

Josie whined at the motion and licked her lips, and for a moment she looked like she wanted to pin Hope down again, but finally opted to move back and off of the white wolf. When Hope moved to stand up once more, the look in Josie's eyes had changed. They glowed brighter now and sparkled with recognition.

The black wolf then leapt forward, immediately brushing tightly up against the white one, ducking her head beneath Hope's chin to rub up against her chest and throat, then nuzzled contently into her neck. Josie then spun around once or twice in excitement, yipping and barking enthusiastically, before backing up onto her hind legs in order to pop her front paws over Hope's back playfully, swiftly nipping and tugging at one of her ears in further displays of affection.

Hope wasn't sure how much of what she was experiencing was Josie's wolf, or how much of a lucid and conscious Josie was inside of the animal, but it allowed Hope a potent moment of realization as she returned all of the other creature's affections in equal amounts of loving and playful enthusiasm.

She loved this girl.

(…)

Hope grit her teeth and forced herself to bear what she was witnessing – a clearly hormone-driven Jade flirting with Josie where they were resting on one of the benches in the garden. Whenever students had gaps between classes and things like study hall and other activities, they would usually hang around the gardens and soak up the sun, or hang about the shade of the trees and generally just socialize. Right now, as she watched the vampire laughing with HER mate, she felt like she was by far over-socializing in the way she would casually touch Josie's arm or grab her hand, or even remove some stray strands of hair from her face.

Hope felt like there was a pit of lava inside her stomach.

No, she had to control herself. She still was not able to consciously shift into her wolf and still had no access to her wolf abilities. She knew if she had to get into a physical confrontation with Jade she would have to rely on her magic – which was no trouble, but the vampire still made Hope feel wildly territorial, like a good wolf should. Besides that, Alaric's warning to both her and Jade was still applicable and the last thing Hope needed was to get even farther removed from Josie by getting herself kicked out of school… again.

Hope swallowed hard then and slowly approached the pair, coming up to them from behind Josie. She was busy laughing at something Jade had said, but when she followed where Jade's gaze had settled over her shoulder, the beautiful smile she had shown the vampire quickly fell from her face. It hurt to see it disappear so quickly at the appearance of Hope when really it should be the other way around, and Hope knew it.

"Jo, can we talk?" Hope forced herself to sound strong and confident, even if she felt anything but at that moment. "Please?" She avoided Jade's threatening gaze and kept her blues locked on Josie, trying her best to silently communicate the deep urge she was feeling to just have one moment alone with the younger girl.

"I don't know if that's…" Josie started as her gaze faltered and she quickly glanced at Jade, uncertain of whether she should acquiesce to Hope's request and ask Jade to give them a moment, or rather nonverbally ask Jade to interfere and get rid of Hope.

"I just wanted to ask how your… uh… excursion was… last night." Hope tried to hint to Josie about the dream without saying anything to give it away to Jade. Luckily for Hope, Josie caught on immediately and a pale blush warmed her cheeks. That was a good sign, right?

"Uhmm, yeah, Jay I'm sorry…" Josie turned her pouty lips towards the vampire and the nickname she had used sent waves of nausea down Hope's throat.

"Yeah, it's cool. I'll catch you after my Myth and Lore class a little later." Jade smiled at Josie and idly touched her shoulder as she stood, but did not leave before sending a scathing look Hope's way. The hatred was very mutual between the two.

Hope waited and watched Jade until she had entered the building once more before she moved to sit down next to Josie. She knew the vampire could listen in on them far too easily unless she was far enough. Josie looked a mixture of confused, impatient, eager and angry all at the same time. Her face was a mess of amalgamated emotion.

"So, it definitely was a shared dream." Hope claimed excitedly with a grin, then turned slightly apprehensive; almost shy. "Were you…like…were you really in there consciously?"

Josie considered Hope for a long moment with an unreadable expression. She really wasn't sure what to make of the current situation. She was still mad at Hope and she was still hurt and disappointed beyond measure. But she was also very much in love with the tribrid and every moment spent away from her was pure agony. All the time she had been spending with Jade, she knew, was only to distract her from Hope's absence. She wasn't being completely fair to Jade, though also to be fair to herself – she could really and honestly see herself being with Jade.

If it wasn't for her heart belonging to this damn dumb tribrid sitting before her, who held the proverbial beating organ in the palm of her hands even now as they spoke. And Josie didn't even think that Hope knew it.

"I was there…" Josie admitted shyly. She was definitely not shy about her feelings for Hope in the aforementioned dream.

"Josie…" Hope started, actually suddenly quite unsure of what she really wanted to say to Josie now that she had her alone. She hadn't quite planned this far, to be honest. "I… uhh…"

"You're the alpha of a pack of Crescent wolves? No? Then I'm not sure I can help you…" Josie muttered with a straight face and a straight tone. Ouch.

"Come on, that was a bit harsh…" Hope frowned sadly and looked down at her lap where she was toying with her hands, twisting her fingers around one another. "But… I am sorry. More than anything, I am sorry for disappointing you. It kills me to know that I'm not the person you thought I was."

Josie sighed and shook her head, irritated at how dumb Hope could be. "No… I mean yes, I am disappointed at your actions, but it's not like you say it is. You are exactly the person who I think you are. I can see it. It's just you who can't conceive of it yet. Would you like me to remind you of who you are, Hope Mikaelson?"

Hope raised her brows, both intrigued and confused at Josie's words, but curious to hear what she had to say. Josie took the cue and continued. "You are your mother's daughter – brave, protective, fiercely independent and an unmistakable leader. You are also you father's daughter – Formidable, powerful, amazingly intelligent and thoroughly fearless. And you are, regardless of the demons you feel that you must fight around every corner, Hope Andrea Mikaelson. You are the only of your kind and I don't even mean that factually in physicality, but also in heart and soul." Josie sighed finally, almost exhausted from the pep talk that came pouring out of her. "And I will keep on believing in you until you believe in yourself… and then some."

She smiled gently, finally, sending Hope's heart aflutter.

Hope definitely loved this girl.

"It would seem you know me better than I know myself." Hope chuckled, a blush creeping over her cheeks as she glanced up finally to meet Josie's gaze.

"Sometimes I really do think that I do. And sometimes it's really irritating." Josie smirked sadly, confusing Hope.

"Like…?" Hope edged her on to explain the last statement.

"Like knowing you were probably asked by Landon to go to the dance and said yes." Josie clenched her jaw quickly, but remained relaxed – or at least so it seemed on the surface.

"I haven't said yes. It's a stupid idea anyway." Hope shook her head, but found Josie simply nodding along in acknowledgement. Hope's eyes suddenly hardened then. "You're going with Jade, aren't you?"

"It's a casual thing." Josie arched one brow in response to Hope's sudden hitch in tone.

"What I saw just now was anything but casual! Come on Jo! We both know she wants to be much, much more than just friends with you!" Hope's face creased as she got upset at the idea of the vampire even just touching HER mate in the simplest of ways.

"At least someone does…" Josie simply muttered and stood up then, her body language utterly dismissive of the tribrid. "I'm not having this argument with you right now." She hardened her eyes and looked down at Hope once more. "So, unless there's anything else, I think I'll be going now."

Hope had no idea how the conversation had gone from Josie saying the absolute best things to Hope, telling her everything she needed to hear, to Josie completely cold-shouldering her. She was still trying to figure out the right combination of syllables to utter when she realized that Josie had already walked off, leaving Hope gaping at her retreating form.


	35. Confronted

Hope was at a loss for words.

And she was utterly exhausted.

She had tried to make the effort to reestablish communication with Josie, and though it got off to a fairly decent pace after the beginning, it very quickly dissolved into coldness once more.

She was out of angles to try. And on top of the stress of sorting out things with Josie, she still had to deal with Landon.

She had been very unsure of her feelings for Landon over the past few days. They had hung out since she returned from New Orleans, but as best as she could she kept him just slightly at arm's length. She had shown him affection as she still very much felt affection for him, but even that had its limits. She couldn't help that her feelings were waning and even though she loved him, she knew she had fallen out of love with him. Or rather she was forced out of love with him by falling in love anew.

She could be with Landon still and he would probably make her feel content. But he was no longer who she wanted. He would be nothing but a consolation prize if she were to truly lose the one she longed for; the one her wolf longed for; the one her soul longed for; the one her heart longed for.

Josie.

Hope trekked up to her room with a heavy heart, the image of Josie walking away from her in the garden a short while back still playing through her memories. She just needed a breather, but she would have no such luck. She was rather surprised to find, upon entering her own room, a lazy Lizzie Saltzman lounging around on her bed, clearly waiting for her to make an appearance.

"What are you doing in here?" Hope blinked at the blonde, then scowled. "Wait, how did you even get in? I always charm the lock."

"Why's that? Got something to hide?" Lizzie smirked and drew herself into a sitting position on Hope's bed, eyeing her curiously.

"Uhh, my privacy?" Hope arched one brow and gave Lizzie a pointed look of indignation.

"Well, your privacy is boring. I already checked. Nothing fun and interesting hidden away in here." Lizzie shrugged and casually moved off the bed and glanced around the room with a look of disappointment.

"Lizzie! How did you get in, and why are you here?" Hope reiterated her initial questions. She was building an intense headache and was honestly not sure whether she had the strength for the blonde twin right now.

"I'm a siphon, Hope, or have you forgotten? I can suck the magic out of just about anything. Your charms won't work with me… well unless…"

"Unless I put a siphon block charm up as well, thanks. I'll remember that next time." Hope grinned at her sarcastically and moved past her to her chest of drawers, looking for some casual clothes as her academic day had come to an end and she could change out of her uniform. She fully intended on spending the rest of the evening in bed, and then going for a run all through the night. She had a lot on her mind that needed outing. "And again I ask, what do you want, Lizzie?"

"You and my sister to make up." Lizzie said simply, crossing her arms.

Hope paused for a moment, then glanced back over her shoulder without actually meeting Lizzie's eyes. "I tried. She's not having it."

"Well then you need to try harder, Hope, because I can't stand another night of her crying herself to sleep in my arms." Lizzie ground out, demanding that Hope pay her some proper attention now as she spoke.

Hope turned around and sighed, finally looking up at the girl. "She wants me to claim my birthright and take alpha position in a pack of wolves I don't even know. It's just really overwhelming to think about." Hope tried to defend herself, but there was also a pleading quality to her tone of voice, very much like a scared little girl.

Lizzie noticed and softened her features. "Does she know that? Have you told her you're not ready?"

"Yes? No… I don't know – we fought about it, but… I don't exactly express my emotions very well, and she hasn't been very willing to give me a chance." Hope shrugged, feeling defeated.

"You know, she doesn't cry herself to sleep every night because you're not stepping up to be alpha, Hope. She cries herself to sleep because she figures that you don't see yourself sharing a relationship – a real relationship – with her in the longer term." Lizzie raised her brows and took a seat in the chair by Hope's desk, observing her facial expressions and body language carefully for what it may reveal of her true thoughts and emotions.

Hope deflated instantly as her eyes turned watery. She wasn't difficult to read at all.

"You're in love with her." Lizzie said simply and gently, nodding her head at Hope as if to encourage her to admit it herself.

"I am…" She whispered and sunk down on her bed. "Why would she think I wouldn't want…"

"Hmmm well, Hope, and I don't mean to be the bitch here – or maybe I do – but you have Landon on one side, who is supposedly the love of your life. And then on the other side, you unknowingly – or at least without realizing it – forced Josie into trapping her wolf on a subconscious level just to appease you. You also seemed unwilling to consider unifying yourself with her, which hurt especially because it would save our lives as Gemini twins." Lizzie sighed deeply, but continued talking as Hope was still digesting. "I'm not saying any of what you did was wrong, but your communication needs to stop sucking so much, Mikaelson. If you're not ready to be an alpha, tell that to Josie. She thinks you will never want to be one – but you and I both know you will, just not right now. If you're not ready to go through with the unification, then tell Josie that. She thinks you don't want her like that, when you just admitted to me that you're in love with her."

"How do you know I will eventually be an alpha? I'm not sure…" Hope started, still riddled with self-doubt and stubbornness, but the younger girl cut her off very quickly.

"Your father was Klaus Mikaelson, your mother was Hailey Marshall, also known as Andrea Lebonair. Being an alpha is in your blood; it courses through every vein in your body. You couldn't avoid it even if you tried. But keep on trying," Lizzie scoffed, "it's kind of cute."

"I can't unify myself with Josie unless I become an alpha." Hope pointed to the next problem.

"So? Does that also mean you can't be with her? At all?" Lizzie asked incredulously.

"Well… no…" Hope muttered.

"Well then you're just being an idiot, Hope. She's madly in love with you. And you're clearly hopelessly in love with her. So, what are you waiting for?" Lizzie threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"She won't listen to me!" Hope cried out in equal measure of frustration.

"Because you haven't been saying the right words, Hope!" Lizzie flung right back at her and shook her head.

"Try again." She uttered at Hope sharply. "Try. Harder."

(…)

"Oh good, you're still here." Lizzie grinned and hopped over to her sister as she entered their room and found Josie lingering.

"I was just about to…" Josie started, but she quickly found herself being drawn into a sitting position on her bed as her sister grabbed and tugged her by her hands. "What's going on?"

"Well, Jo, my dearest sister… How can I put this gently…" Lizzie started slowly, then smiled lovingly at her sister before crooning out, "You need to dump the vampire."

"Jade? We're not dating." Josie scowled at Lizzie, then quickly turned indignant. "And that's none of your business or your decision to make."

"You're in love with Hope." Lizzie pointed out with a straight face. "Don't even try to deny it."

"Lizzie, not this again…" Josie sighed and moved to get up and head for the door. "I have to meet Jade. She's waiting for me already."

"Jo wait, I'm serious." Lizzie jumped to her feet and moved for the door faster than Josie could get there, shoving it closed. "Jade – as much as I dislike the ripper – does not deserve your half-assed affections. And Hope does not deserve you flaunting Jade around in her face as a way to make her jealous."

"That's not what I was…" Josie's frown ran even deeper then, but her words seemed soft and unconvincing.

Lizzie raised a knowing brow at her. "Just bite the bullet and do it, Jo. It's the right thing."

"Since when are you bothered with doing the right thing?" Josie scoffed at her sister, then immediately felt bad as Lizzie seemed insulted by the insinuation.

"Since it affects my sister's happiness. But thanks for that, Jo. Really appreciate the vote of confidence." Lizzie sneered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't…" Josie sighed and tucked some hair behind her ear nervously. She knew, deep down, that Lizzie was right. What she was doing with Jade was not entirely of pure intentions. And even though she felt affection for Jade, she had no real intention of investing nearly as much into their relationship as Jade was willing to.

Lizzie shook her head and lifted a hand to silence her sister. "Look, I know you're meeting her now. Jo, I beg you… just do what you know has to be done."


	36. Change of Plan

It was finally weekend and the dance was looming over Hope's head like a guillotine waiting to drop. She had agreed to go with Landon, but she was yet to have a serious talk with him over their failing relationship. He himself must have sensed that something was off, however, as he had been clingier and more attentive than usual, which only further served to twist Hope's nerves into knots.

Hope, of course, had spent every waking moment that she could pining over a certain brunette witch. She kept n eye out for Josie whenever she as much as set her foot out of her bedroom, and whenever she would catch sight of those brunette locks of hair or chocolate eyes, she would feel her heart float in the girl's direction.

Hope had found herself amazed that even without her wolf, she had been thoroughly drawn to Josie around every corner. It was just so different than how things were with Landon. With the boy it was always a case of either her being angry at him, or loving him and being happy. This desire and longing that she felt now for Josie was something completely different. Hope was starting to come to the realization that there were different kinds of loves in existence, but regardless, there was none like the love connection between her and the siphon.

(…)

Josie was having a similar experience as she finally and eventually took Lizzie's advice and had a serious chat with Jade, unable to keep on lying to herself about the fact that no one but Hope would be able to work their way into her heart. She was fairly honest with Jade about a lot of it, even admitting that she had feelings for someone else.

Jade wasn't stupid, she knew it was Hope, and quickly said as much. It did not help the feelings of animosity she garnered towards the tribrid at all, but she realized that it wasn't up to Hope, but up to Josie. She herself had enough honor to know that she had to respect whatever Josie's choice was that she wanted to make. So, she did. Jade did make it very clear to Josie, however, that if ever Hope was dumb enough to let Josie slip through her fingers, she would be there within a heartbeat.

Josie had agreed to still attend the dance with Jade especially since it would have been a so-called 'casual' thing to begin with. Also, with Lizzie attending the dance with MG and Hope going with Landon, there was just no way that Josie was showing up alone. Luckily, and to make her feel more at ease, Wendy was also asked to join them so that they could go as a trio of friends. Wendy's costume would even match their theme as she would dress as Morgana La Fey. There was even playful banter with the trio as to which witch raised Lancelot and which witch he had sexual relations with. Lancelot turned out to be a bit of a dog outside of his love for Guinevere – something that highly amused Josie as she had to embody someone so different from herself.

Aside from trying to tie up the loose ends around Jade, Josie would still spend a lot of time fiddling with the loose ends surrounding Hope. In all honesty, Josie had never felt so miserable in her life as she had the week after returning from their trip. So much of what happened on their trip just made Josie so deliriously happy, and so much of it simply remained engrained into the back of her head.

She'd remember listening to music with Hope on the bus, and how they would smile shyly at each other whenever a song seemed to speak straight to them and their situation. She remembered their first night there and how Hope had taken her out on the town: she had won her that life-size panda bear that even now still occupied a chair in the corner of her room; she took her on a most romantic carriage ride around the square and cuddled close to her as they giggled at the oddly dressed entertainers strewn about; and then they had that dance to the smooth jazz music of a street corner band, every movement perfectly in-sync with the other. That night they were so magnetized to one another that they shared a dream that even now made Josie blush bright red when she thought about the details.

Hope and Josie had not actually kissed since before they found out Landon was alive. Right before, actually, and Josie had been afraid on so many levels that that was also the last time it would ever happen. If she had known there was a time limit to their relations with one another she might have felt inclined to do much more… to go much further… And the thoughts only added more of a scarlet glow to her face as she shut her eyes tightly at the unbidden images that flooded her mind.

(…)

"So that's one Romeo for Greasly and one Juliet for Lizzie Saltzman." Alyssa scribbled the details into her diary as she finalized costume orders with Lizzie. The social committee responsible for the dance had taken it upon themselves to plan every last little detail to a tee. That also meant ensuring that everyone had their costumes witch-crafted and personally delivered to their rooms in time for the dance. They had wanted to make sure that there were no duplicates attending the party, and so they kept a strict eye on every single order.

"Say, Chang, could I see that list for a moment? I might have… a change of heart." Lizzie tried her luck.

"You'd need a heart first to change it, Saltzman." Alyssa smiled at Lizzie in that tight and fake way she had mastered by now, clutching her notebook close to her chest. "Now what do you really want?"

"Okay, fine. I just want to… help true love a little bit." Lizzie smiled innocently in return. When the smile didn't work, Lizzie switched to glaring. "Name your price, witch."

"Will it cause a certain level of scandal?" Alyssa arched a brow.

Lizzie thought for a moment, then shrugged. "It might."

"Fine, all I want is a front row seat to a good show. This better be worth it." Alyssa sighed but smirked a little bit in delight that not even she could hide.

She handed the notebook over to Lizzie.

(…)

"Jo! Our outfits have arrived!" Lizzie called into the room excitedly when she entered that Saturday afternoon with two boxes, one addressed to each twin. "I can't wait to see my dress and wings!" Lizzie exclaimed excitedly as she and MG had opted to go as Romeo and Juliet from the Baz Luhrmann movie version.

Josie sat down on her bed and watched with a broad smile as Lizzie tore into her box for her outfit for that evening. The dress was snow white and flowing and beautifully encrusted with crystals on the bodice. There was also a pair of small cupid-like wings made from real feathers that Lizzie would wear on her back with the dress. She would most definitely look like an angel. MG was going to have a heart attack, that was for sure!

"Lizzie Saltzman: Juliet. Partner: Milton Greasly as Romeo" Lizzie read the card inside the box that mapped out the details. The students had also been made aware of how they had to enter the dance with their partners due to the photos being taken upon entry, therefore the correct character couplings had to arrive together.

The details were so redundant.

"Now you! Let's see!" Lizzie grinned at Josie, eager to see the contents of Josie's box as well. Josie smiled and reached for the box addressed to her, expecting some fake chainmail and plates of armor in a certain fantasy style. What she found however, was a beautiful ball-gown of blue and gold seemed to style to fit royalty. In fact, instead of a sword, she found a tiara.

Utterly confused at what must have clearly been some mix-up, she reached for the card that contained the details and read it aloud for Lizzie to hear as well. "Josie Saltzman: Lady Guinevere. Partner: … Hope Mikaelson… as Sir Lancelot…" Josie's eyes shot towards Lizzie and the self-satisfactory grin she was wearing. "This is your doing, isn't?!" Josie shrieked her accusation.

"Sorry, sis. If you two can't get it together yourselves…" Lizzie shrugged confidently and went back to admiring her dress. She had an arrangement with Alyssa that no matter how much they tried to harass her about the wrong orders for outfits, she'd keep swinging and batting them.

(…)

Hope was in her room, busy studying the realistic-looking prop sword in her hands in confusion, and perhaps with just a little bit of excitement. She definitely had a thing for swords. She swung it around with her wrist about once or twice before there was a knock on the door of her room. She put the sword back in the box and moved to open the door.

Standing there, the perfect picture of anger and confusion, Landon waved his card at Hope – the same one everyone received with their outfits to finalize details. "Dear Muppet, King Arthur is dead. Here's your backup – Landon Kirby: Athos. Partner(s): Rafael Waithe as Porthos; Kaleb Smith as Aramis; Jed Doe as D'Artagnan." He read Hope the card.

She waved him to enter her room so that she could show him what came in her box and also let him read the card of how she is meant to be Lancelot and would be escorting Josie as Guinevere. "Look there's still time, just let me talk to Alyssa and…"

"It won't work, I tried already. The committee refuses to solve any costume issues past an hour ago as they have shifted their focus to the venue." Landon grumbled in annoyance. "But I'll get you there and we can make a pretty handsome musketeer and knight couple on the dancefloor, right?"

Hope sighed and smiled sincerely at Landon.

Her heart ached as it sped up.

This was it.

"We need to talk about something…"


	37. A Sword for a Rose

_*"I love her, and that's the beginning and the end of everything." – F. Scott Fitzgerald_

Hope could feel her heart beating strongly within her chest. It wasn't racing; it was more like a steady drum beating out a rhythm, but every now and then there'd be a beat that gets missed and she could feel her heart jump. That was the nerves talking. They were ever present this evening; buzzing fingers curled around her heart, ready to squeeze and deliver a shock to her system. But she would prevail, and she would fight on.

She let her one leather-gloved hand float down to her hip where it would rest on the hilt of her sword which was sheathed and resting against her thigh. Her other hand moved to her neck where she adjusted the black material around her throat that separated her skin from the light silver chain vest she wore. It was long enough to be belted around her waist and then to fall below her hips where it met with the thick black leggings she wore on her legs. Light alloy-plated leather boots reached up to just below her knees, while more of these costume-suited plates of armor sat strapped around the outside of her arms and onto her shoulders, as well as over her chest and abdomen. The costume was simple and light and easy to move in, and some engraved floral designs on the bright alloy plates made it perfectly suitable for a lady to wear. There was no helmet, allowing Hope to keep her hair straight and free-flowing down her neck and around her shoulders, the cascade of auburn in perfect contrast with the silver of her outfit.

She looked kind of hot, even if slightly masculine. But she was pulling it off like it was meant for her.

The knight.

The hero.

_*"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." – Aristotle_

Lizzie helped her sister insert the final curls she wanted into her hair, making sure they fell just right in the softest manner down to frame Josie's beautiful face. Her makeup was done with just the right amount of smokey shading to her eyes and blusher to her cheeks. Her lashes were long and dark, while her lips were full and the color of good wine. Her dress was royal and yet gentle in various shades of steel blue, gray blue, and midnight blue as it fit around her in soft layers of satin and chiffon. Her bodice was dark and fit snug to accentuate womanly curves, while leaving her upper back, shoulders and arms exposed, offering delightful views of glowing olive skin. The bodice sat, laced and stitched with golden thread that sparkled when it caught the light, right to her hips as it showcased the fitness of her long, lithe body, and from there the material sprouted in layers of different hues of blue to flow like a fabricated waterfall to her ankles and some tips beyond there. Her heels were short, but sharp, and golden as it laced across her dainty feet in straps.

She looked the very essence of what a princess – a queen – should be and was bound to stop a few hearts that night.

On the outside she shone like a shooting star streaking across the darkened sky, but inside her chest she felt more like the impact of a comet hitting the ground of her heart. She didn't know what to expect. She didn't even know if Hope would show up at her door or be waiting for her at the entrance to the hall. She wasn't sure whether Hope would buy into any of this at all. She had no idea where she stood with Hope… but she was hopeful. If anything, this night the ball was in Hope Mikaelson's court and Josie felt like she was just along for the ride. Still she would hold onto that hope that she felt deep within that somehow, this night, would rewrite the stars for them.

_*"The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing." – Blaise Pascal_

MG had already picked up Lizzie from the Saltzman room 20 minutes prior, leaving Josie to pace back and forth nervously as she waited on Hope, unsure whether she'd show up. Lizzie had promised Josie that if she got to the hall and Hope was waiting there, she would send her up to the room. And if after a while neither of them were at the dance, Lizzie would come back to find her, but swore she'd not leave her alone. She also told Josie, reassuring her, that she had a good feeling about Hope not letting her down either way.

And Hope had no intention of letting Josie down as she finally gathered up enough courage to stand in front of the door. She paused as she stepped up to it and took a deep, calming breath. She could do this, she kept reminding herself. If there was ever an occasion that was in need of that good old Mikaelson charm, it was definitely this evening. She had to give it her best. She had to somehow show Josie that she was worthy of her love, and that she would otherwise be worthless without it.

Steadily she raised her one hand to the door to knock, while her other hand clutched a single beautiful long-stemmed red rose before her.

When the door opened slowly and uncertainly and her beloved was gradually revealed to Hope's gaze, she could feel her heartbeat speed up finally. There was no other way as the young woman standing before her was more stunning than any masterful piece of art Hope could ever wish to paint. She knew that there was no natural manifestation of beauty in the entirety of the universe that could match what was regaling her eyes at that very moment. As the magnificent and most pleasurable shock to her system kept her mute, Josie blushed profusely where she stood in the doorway, waiting for her date to simply say something – anything.

"Roses!" Hope suddenly exclaimed, then muttered incoherently under her breath as she blushed and shook her head, finally taking her eyes off of Josie for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime of staring at the woman who held her heart in her hands.

"I mean. A rose. From fairest creatures we desire increase that thereby beauty's rose might never die…" Hope tried to sound chivalrous, though she was met with a look of confusion, but utter adoration none the less.

"Are you quoting Shakespeare to me right now?" Josie grinned, her blush intensifying as she took the beautiful red rose from Hope and brought it to her nose to smell its sweet scent. "And I suppose next you will be going into a monologue on the meaning of roses and their colors, until you eventually reach red?"

"Well for that you'll just have to wait and see." Hope leaned against the door frame and winked at Josie, then followed her every move as the girl turned around to find something on her bedside table.

When Josie returned, she was holding the necklace Hope had given her on her 16th birthday. It was the night if their party, a dance very similar, and the necklace had saved her life. She didn't feel right, or even safe, not wearing it now. She motioned for Hope to fasten it at the back of her neck and could feel the slight tremor shaking through Hope's hands as she worked the clasp at the back of Josie's neck. The idea of Hope being as nervous as her only elicited a further multitude of goosebumps to spread across her skin.

"Josie…" Hope whispered when the younger girl turned around again to face her gallant knight and escort with a soft smile. "You look… breathtaking… I'm going to have to apologize in advance if I can't keep my eyes off of you tonight." Hope uttered breathlessly and Josie could see her eyes go slightly wider and her pupils dilate as she once more took a moment to observe Josie in her entirety. The words and the gesture caused a delicious heat to flush through Josie's body. She could feel her desire for Hope start to grow in the pit of her stomach.

_*"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." – John Green (The Fault in Our Stars)_

"I'm sorry about Lizzie pulling this stunt on us at the last minute." Josie whispered to Hope as they stood in the line to get into the dance hall. The movement was slow as every couple or group had to be introduced and had to have their photos taken before the next could enter. Hope and Josie lingered near the back of the queue.

"You shouldn't have to apologize for your sister's antics, Jo." Hope smiled at the gorgeous young woman on her arm. "Besides… I'm not sorry." And tried to turn up the charm.

"Really?" Josie smiled softly at the admission and coyly batted her lashes at her handsome knight in shining armor. "I honestly wasn't sure you'd show."

"Why wouldn't I?" Hope asked, frowning.

"Well… I wouldn't have blamed you if you wanted to avoid me altogether. But also, I figured you'd be in full protest mode." Jo shrugged a little shyly.

"Hope nodded and took a breath then. "Well I wasn't the one protesting." She nodded her head in the direction of a group of young guys a few feet ahead of them. It was Landon and the others in their musketeer outfits.

"Oh god he must have been mad. I'm so sorry. I mean, this is all just to get it, he can get to you inside." Josie felt guilty. As much as she hated it, she was still planning on sticking to respecting Hope's sort-of relationship with Landon as she had told her she would.

"We broke up." Hope said suddenly and swallowed. Josie blinked at her, shocked and wordless.

"Well, I broke up with him. Today, actually. I can't even believe he came at all." Josie was still staring as if waiting for some suitable explanation that would make sense to her.

"Why did…" she started and tripped over her words, then shook her head and tried again. "I mean, what did you tell him?"

"We'll talk about it more later, okay?" Hope smiled and leaned into Josie, just needing to feel her closeness and be able to inhale her scent. Whenever she did, all just seemed right with the world again.

"So, what about Jade? I can imagine she's not too thrilled about this either." Hope asked then.

"She wasn't, but she knows that there's a line she can't cross anymore, so we have an understanding." Josie smiled encouragingly at Hope, who arched her brows as if to request a further explanation, which Josie soon gave. "I told her I wasn't available… romantically." Josie giggled as she saw the grin of utter delight spread across Hope's lips. Score 1 for the tribrid!

"Listen Jo…" Hope took the younger girl's hands in hers as she turned to her and kept her close, preferring to whisper for her to hear only. "I know I have made mistakes and I have not been… expressing myself too well lately, and I realized that I may have come off in ways that I never intended… And I just… I know there's a lot that we need to talk about and if you would just grant me this one night to clear things up and show you how I feel…I'd give anything…"

"AND up next we have Hope Mikaleson and Josie Saltzman entering as Sir Lancelot and Lady Guinevere." The announcement came without either of them realizing that they were next in line. As the limelight shone on the two at the top of the stairs, they were still standing intimately close and hand in hand, facing each other in the perfect picture of legendary lovers. The room applauded them delightedly.

Hope took the opportunity to raise one of Josie's hands to her lips and kissed her knuckles in chivalrous style, then tucked Josie's arm inside her own as she lead her down the stairs and to the side where the photos were being taken. "Are you ready to get into character, my dearest?" Hope grinned at Josie, who giggled with glee and nodded with enthusiasm, just before they entered in front of the screen for their turn.

_*"No one has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold." – Zelda Fitzgerald_


	38. Declarations

"You do realize that things didn't end very well for Lancelot and Guinevere, right?" Josie smirked as she followed Hope into the old mill, which was beautifully lit up with fairy lights and candles everywhere. They had taken an opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle of the dance in order to spend some time alone to just talk for a change.

"Well, neither did it for Romeo and Juliet, nor Anthony and Cleopatra, but that does not diminish how epic their love was." Hope smiled in return as she idly meandered through the mill, finding a beam above her head to hold onto with her left hand, while her right hand clutched at her sword. She gazed provocatively at Josie, as if daring her to present Hope with another challenge.

"So, what does that mean for us, then?" Josie arched a brow – she wanted to be coy and tease and play with Hope, but there were also some real issues that they needed to address that were weighing heavily on her mind.

Hope's face turned more serious then as she shrugged, but remained casual and relaxed in her body language as she remained stretched from the beam above her. "I think it means that we know we could do better; be more; succeed where failure was felt for them." Josie moved closer to Hope as she spoke, gently letting her hands come to rest on Hope's hips. She let go of the beam in order to step into Josie's bubble, bringing her own hands down to let her arms wrap around the brunette.

"I know I've been dismissive of your feelings and I'm sorry for that…" Josie whispered up at Hope with remorseful eyes. "I want to do better now. I want to know what you want… What you need…"

Hope smiled genuinely at Josie then. There has definitely been some sort of fairy (or witchy) godmother running around, helping them out. Hope knew exactly what her name was.

"What I want… What I truly desire is truly simple…" Hope uttered as she took Josie's hands from her hips and wrapped them around her neck instead, allowing her to wrap her own arms around the younger girl's waist and pull her close in return, keeping their bodies near and warm, even in the chilled air. "What I truly want and truly desire… is you, Jo. Even without our wolves it has become as clear as daylight…" Hope sighed and pressed her forehead against Josie's then, breathing in her scent and smiling as if it was utterly intoxicating. "I'm in love with you…" She whispered.

And just like that all of Hope Mikaelson's walls came crashing down. Every single pillar of strength that she had erected to protect her against all the hurt and the pain that she knew was always lingering out there and able to affect her… she let it all go. It all seemed to just disappear as she uttered those words to Josie. She didn't want the walls anymore, as she no longer wished to be separated from the other girl, and she no longer needed the walls either, as she knew she would have Josie by her side, always. And with Josie by her side, she knew she could face anything – from becoming alpha to enduring mystical unifying ceremonies, Hope could see herself bearing it all with ease.

Josie was left breathless and swooning as she held onto the back of Hope's neck, as if she needed to hang onto her for the sake of saving her life. Her eyes could not move from Hope's as she tried to soak up all that the older girl had just said to her, lapping up every syllable eagerly and hungrily. The words seemed to float in the air from Hope's lips before gently entering Josie's ears, like a sweet melody that would stick with her forever. Eventually her gaze travelled downward from the tribrid's beautiful blue eyes to her sweetly waiting lips. Josie could no longer stand the distance and closed it instantly then, allowing her own mouth to mesh heatedly with Hope's.

The kiss was slow and intense as it burned through the both of them, setting their bodies, hearts and especially their souls on fire. They could feel as their connection was reestablished deep within, as if a thirst was quenched that had long needed it.

They slowly drew back from one another and as their eyes opened to behold one another, Hope's eyes were on fire in a golden blaze of glowing glory. This time there was something different about they way they looked at Josie. There was a silent affirmation within every reflective speck that seemed to suggest that, finally, Hope's conscious self and her wolf's intentions were completely aligned.

There was simply no more doubt. Josie was hers. And the gods protect anyone who so much as even thought about taking her away from Hope.

Josie let one hand glide from the back of Hope's neck to her cheek as she remained close, keeping their lips within desirable parameters. "I'm in love with you, Hope Andrea Mikaelson." She whispered softly but Hope could still feel Josie's warm breath on her lips as she uttered the words that Hope longed to hear. The moment Josie inhaled again, it was as if she was inhaling Hope along with the oxygen her lungs needed, in the same way her heart and soul needed Hope herself. So, Hope followed Josie's intake of air and firmly pressed her lips back to Josie's again for another scorching kiss that would leave a long trail of gooseflesh rippling down her spine.

When they eventually separated again, the softest smile could be found tugging at both sets of lips, playing around the corners like uninhibited children. Their eyes were gentle and observant of every small line and freckle on the opposite features, and every imperfection was perfection by itself and would be worshipped and coveted.

"I know this sounds cliché, but…" Hope chuckled and Josie melted at the sound and the shy look that Hope expressed. "You make me want to be a better person. You make me want to be the person that you see in me…" She explained while slightly nodding her head and glancing down with a little uncertainty, but she quickly recovered her resolve and looked back to Josie, meeting her gaze firmly. "I am a bit of a mess right now, but I swear to you, Jo… I will… eventually. I just need a little time to ready myself."

Josie frowned in confusion and tilted her head to the side as she observed Hope, trying to put the pieces of her words together. "You will what?"

"Step up." Hope said simply and then took a deep breath, then elaborated. "Claim my birthright. But I can't do it without you."

Josie's mouth opened slightly as she stared at Hope in surprise. She wasn't expecting that, but Hope's admission and the determination that she could see in Hope's still brightly illuminated eyes told her all that she had needed to know. There was no hesitation from the tribrid.

"I'm so proud of you, Hope… you have no idea…" Josie smiled widely and was filled with the purest sense of joy that one could possibly comprehend. "And you'll always have me by your side." She giggled slightly as she averted her gaze demurely, but soon found her way back to Hope's eyes. "You are, after all, LITERALLY the other half of me…"

"You are for sure the better half." Hope giggled too, rolling her eyes at how cheesy she sounded. "Now please, before I embarrass myself further… Would my lady like to dance?"


	39. Actions Speak Louder

Hope slowly lead Josie onto the dancefloor, her armor refracting the array of lights moving about the hall, enhancing her look of gallantry as she pulled her lady close to her body. Even though the floor was full of couples, to them it seemed like they were all alone in a world only meant for them. The music carried them further away as the voice rang out, "You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down…"

Hope's eyes shimmered an almost electric blue as they locked onto Josie's chocolate gaze and drew her nearer still, her one arm slipping around the slim waist of the younger girl. Her hand found its perfect placement in the hollow of Josie's back, while the other held onto Josie's with the perfect mixture of gentle firmness.

"I'm on your magical mystery ride and I'm so dizzy…" The male voice crooned for them as they readied themselves to be swept away by pure emotion. Josie rested her free hand on Hope's shoulder and held her close, though not even nearly as close as she wanted to. "Don't know what hit me…"

_* Hope clumsily kicked her bedroom door shut behind her and followed Josie as she led Hope, walking backwards towards her bed, the blush on her cheeks looking absolutely delightful in the dimly lit room – the only light cast into the darkness done so by a low lamp on Hope's desk. The lamp seemed to cast the whole room in a warm glow, while the lovers themselves could feel a warm glow of a different kind. Warmth creeped up Hope's fingers; her palm; her arm; her shoulder and spread straight through her chest as Josie pulled her by the hand. Closer still. Hearts beat out of control while anxious fingers clumsily tugged, pulled and yanked at laces and buttons and clasps and leather straps – all of it just in the way now. Metal plates would hit the floor with a distinct clanging sound, but no heed was paid as freed bodies pressed together, blown out pupils settling on their twin pair._

"My head's under water, but I'm breathing fine…" The music continued, breaking into the song's first bridge as Hope swept Josie along with her as she moved. Josie followed Hope's every step without any need for guidance, their every movement completely and perfectly in sync with one another.

"You're my end and my beginning…" Josie could read the words of the song in Hope's eyes as she kept their gazes locked, absolutely no need to be aware of anything happening outside of their swaying bubble of bliss. She could feel each word pumping through her heart as she was as attuned to the song as she was to her own emotions, the two potent mixtures pouring forth together perfectly in a crescendo of absolute adoration for the older girl in whose arms she felt at home.

"You're my downfall, you're my muse; my worst distraction, my rhythm and blues…" The song struck the right chords within Hope as she held Josie's body tightly against her own and stepped either way when needed, though it felt more like mutual floating as they barely noticed their feet touch the ground, so hopelessly too enraptured by one another.

_* Hope swept Josie up into her arms as she laid her down on top of her bed, so gingerly and so carefully in her placement of each perfect limb, so careful not to hurt her girl in any way. She felt like the body beneath her was one to be worshipped and so she would bow down in praise in Josie's honor. Bowing, she let her lips linger close for a kiss from their partner pair, though she'd allow her queen to make the final move and close the gap. Josie kept her gaze locked with the now glowing golden pair above her, so close. Hope's breath on her lips. Hope's nose brushing her cheek. Hope's warmth radiating onto her shivering skin. Josie reached up with both hands to tangle in the messy auburn hair and tugged her knight down to kiss her – no, to consume her._

As the song reached its climax, Hope was becoming aware of how her fingers grasped tightly at Josie's back, nearly possessively, digging ever so gently into her flesh, but enough for her to notice. In turn Josie just flushed a rosy color and tucked her face into Hope's neck, picking up on the scent of her entire future happiness as it all rested right there.

"Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts, risking it all…" The song insisted and Hope softly folded her chin over the side of Josie's face, letting her focus shift to how she could almost hear every one of her heart beats beat in time with Josie's, as if somehow a direct link existed between the two hearts, which Hope could swear was the case indeed.

Hope squeezed Josie's hand then and the brunette leaned back to observe her beloved's face, Hope's own breath immediately sucked out of her once more as if she could forget how insanely beautiful Josie looked tonight. She could not believe this girl was now hers.

Wait, was she? Officially?

"Be mine…" She whispered as she leaned into Josie's ear, brushing their cheeks together and touching lightly the lobe of Josie's ear as she spoke. "Be my love."

"I give you all of me, and you give me all of you…" The song slowly played out its tune to a beautiful end, but the night was only starting for the new couple.

"Always…" Josie whispered from beneath long and dark lashes.

_* Hope could feel every little jump and ripple of every little muscle running through the lithe body beneath her, and every time Josie moved, her bare skin scraped over Hope's own, as if scratching her name into the bark of Hope's tree. H+J encircled by a heart, like children to express a crush. But this was no crush, as the pleasure ignited by the movement of Josie's hands all over Hope's body crushed the last of her sensibility. Hope longed for every layer to be peeled away; let Josie make an onion out of her pretense and strip her down to the bare bones of her emotions. Josie did have such skilled fingers, even though nerves made clumsy work of them when this all started. It was not long till Josie found her rhythm, and then caught Hope in the same rhythm of push and pull, tug and toss, buck and roll. Hope was adrift in an ocean of euphoria by the time Josie's lips had explored and claimed every last inch of her body. And before long Hope was dragging Josie down to the depths of that warm ocean with her, luring her with a warm and open mouth to come towards her as she sunk further. Soon enough they were both pleasurably exhausted and felt deliciously drowned._

The sun finally broke through the split in the curtains at Hope's window, casting a slither of light right across her face. The tribrid blinked sleepily as her senses started to awaken and then suddenly was abuzz all at once as memories of her night with her lover came crashing back through her mind. She smiled even as her skin felt the familiar glow of arousal and she could pick up the scent of Josie's hair thick in the air around her. She turned then, reaching one naked arm out to where her mate should be sleeping, but the space in the bed was already cold where Josie had left it.

Quickly glancing over at the clock in her bedside table, Hope realized how late it was and that she had already missed breakfast. She could be happy that at least it was a Sunday or she would have completely missed first period by now. But alas, she thought smugly to herself, it was not like she got a whole lot of sleep the previous night.

Rolling out of bed lazily, Hope wrapped her body in some linen and shuffled towards her bathroom for a shower before she would go off in search of Josie. She nearly got lost in the sweetness of her memories as she let her skin soak up the warm water and then gleam with soap. Hope couldn't help her drifting attention. She had never experienced anything like that – not just the act itself but the intensity of emotion that accompanied it. Hope knew she had woken up that morning a completely new person.

Quickly dressing in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, Hope exited the bathroom while still toweling her hair, but nearly swung a fireball at the intruder standing in the middle of her room all of a sudden.

"Hope?" It was Landon, and he seemed utterly confused. "I…I don't know how I got here. I'm sorry!" He tried to explain even though he was at a complete loss himself.

This wasn't right. Something was off.

Hope stepped closer, watching him carefully. "What's the last thing you remember?"

It seemed like he was about to answer when, suddenly, his eyes turned an unholy pearl-white color and he actually started grinning dementedly.


	40. Death and Other Deadly Things

"Did you miss me, love?" Landon spoke with his own voice, but a distinct accent and diction as opposed to his own. He stared at Hope through the bars of the cell he had been detained in immediately after Hope had realized what was going on and had alerted Alaric and the other teachers.

"Terribly." Hope snarked at him and folded her arms defensively.

"What do you want with us?" Alaric ground out through his teeth from next to Hope. If it wasn't for the fact that the Necromancer was possessing Landon's body, he would have given him the same treatment as he gave Kai Parker. "Not only did you get to take all the dark magic you wanted, but you also didn't hold up your end of the bargain by neglecting to bring Landon back properly."

Landon, or rather his puppet master, grinned as he sat down casually on his chair and crossed one leg over the other. "I want absolutely nothing with you, you insignificant human. There's no use for me in this mangy school of yours. I couldn't care less. But I am here for her." He motioned subtly towards Hope by nodding his head towards her. "As for Landon… I kind of needed him, so I changed my mind." He shrugged casually.

"Well you can't have me and you can't have Landon either. So why don't you just necromance your way to a faraway place before I come find you and turn you into the dead filth that you really are?" Hope spat angrily at the being behind the bars. She was furious. And she was distraught, knowing that if the Necromancer was possessing Landon that the boy was only half-alive and would perish without the magic that binds him to the dark witch.

"Hmm, let me think about that…" He paused and smirked, then lowered his head so that he could glare at Hope from beneath Landon's heavy brows. "No. I don't think so. You see, I have plans – BIG plans, and unfortunately I cannot achieve said plans without your assistance, nor without the boy."

"Why me? Why Landon?" Hope nearly shouted in frustration, struggling to keep her emotions under control.

"You, because of your ancient bloodlines. Him, because of his paternal ties." He replied simply, not even worried in the slightest about giving away his intentions. Something about his confidence heavily unnerved Hope. She could sense there was something more. Something was not right regarding his arrogant approach.

"Malivore." Alaric muttered. "You want to resurrect Malivore, don't you?" His eyes grew wide even though he frowned deeply. He knew that could not be allowed to happen. "Why?"

The witch laughed then, finding the whole ordeal terribly amusing. "Well, I'll give you a hint – it has less to do with restoring forgotten about magical creatures to the world and more to do with the chaos that some of these monsters can cause."

"We would never help you, or even consider allowing it to happen. What game are you really playing?" Alaric asked, speaking slowly. He was also starting to worry about what exactly it was that was giving the man this much confidence to just waltz in and demand they assist him in his evil deeds.

He slowly shifted his gaze from Alaric to Hope. "Notice anything gone missing yet?"

"Missing? Like what?" Hope shook her head in confusion.

"Perhaps something quite precious…" He then shifted his gaze back to Alaric, the look on his features exceptionally unnerving. "To you both."

Could it be…?

Hope's heart stopped.

No no no no no…

Please no!

Josie…

When her heart kicked back into motion in her chest with a deep ache, Hope's eyes immediately flared into a burst of gold as her canines protruded further from her gums in accompaniment. "I WILL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!" She growled out loudly, as she grabbed the bars and squeezed them in her fists until her knuckles turned white. "I swear to god if you hurt one hair on her head I will end you in the most painful way that your twisted mind could not even conceive of. I will destroy not only you, but your entire legacy – erase your memory – award you with that permanent death that you so despise!" Hope was crazy with anger to the point where it even seemed like she was about to full-on shift into her wolf. Her nails extended and dug into her palms and her ears started to lengthen and sharpen their tips.

"Oooh calm down wolfy, before you bust a vein there." He chuckled at her, not bothered in the least by her aggressive display of anger. "She's safe… For now. But she won't be for long if you don't accompany this strapping young man to where I'll be waiting." He then turned to Alaric again, who had been silent since Hope's outburst, too afraid to even breathe at the thought of his baby girl being in trouble. "And don't you even dare think of a way to stop this from happening. I'm sure you'd be of no help to anyone if you stumbled head first into a burst of magical dark energy."

(…)

"Hope!" Josie called out immediately as she saw her mate enter the cold and musty cave. She was trapped in a cage that was elevated at least 30 feet above the ground, except there was a moderately sized pit of bubbling mud below her. The cage was dangling precariously by just one rope, swinging slightly back and forth from Josie's movements.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!" Hope called out as she ran to just the side of the pit; she wouldn't be able to reach Josie very easily, even though that's all she wanted to do right then. "You keep her caged like a fucking animal?!" She growled over her shoulder with a threatening golden stare at where the actual Necromancer was standing on an elevated slab of rock to the side of the cave, watching her with amusement.

"Well, she is one, isn't she? Almost, at least…" He casually shrugged his shoulders and then squared them in a show of power and bravado. "Besides, better to keep a siphon away from any possible magical objects."

"Well I'm not doing shit until you let her down!" Hope shot back at him before returning her worried gaze back to Josie. She could see Josie was scared and it killed her inside. Josie was hers to protect, and the Necromancer had wanted Hope, using Josie to get to her. If anything happened to Josie because of it, she'd never be able to forgive herself.

"Oh no, Miss Mikaleson. That there is my insurance policy, just in case you decide to get wise." The dark witch said and snapped his fingers in Landon's direction, causing the young man to move closer to him, his eyes still pearl-white and blank.

"And how do I know you won't go back on your word like you did before?" She pushed the words out angrily through her clenched teeth as she stared him down.

"You don't…but are you willing to risk the alternative?" He smirked again as he glanced up at Josie. "Looks like that rope is starting to unravel, don't you think?" He snapped his fingers again and a few chords woven through the rope gave way. Hope realized that very soon the whole thing would unravel and drop Josie into the Malivore pit and erase her from all memory. Even just the thought made Hope feel physically ill and absolutely sick to her stomach.

"How did you even create a new portal?" Hope glanced down at the bubbling and sticky mud, shaking her head.

"You do remember who this guy is and where he came from, don't you?" The witch arched a brow as he pointed to Landon; as if Hope could forget. "And now he needs to return in order for the spell to work. 'Flesh from my flesh', and all that jazz, you know."

"You mean to sacrifice him?!" Hope shouted indignantly and furiously. "I did not agree to that!"

"Okay…" He nodded his head, seemingly thoughtful but thoroughly facetious. "He doesn't need to die… But then she goes into the pit." He raised his icy gaze to Josie. "Choose." Hope jumped as another string in the rope holding Josie's cage snapped, causing Josie to let out a small shriek as she got a fright. Hope's heart was beating out of her chest.

"And you better be quick about it…" The Necromancer chuckled.


	41. Narrow Escape

“Okay! Okay…” Hope relented, a million thoughts shooting through her head but only one that really mattered – she had to keep Josie safe. “What do you need me to do? How does this work?”

The Necromancer grinned as he could feel victory creeping up on him. “The original Malivore was created by three ancient supernatural beings, as you ought to know by now: A witch, a werewolf and a vampire. Your lineage for all three can be traced back to the very beginnings, therefore I need you – you are the closest to the original creators that I can get.”

“So what do you need? My blood?” Hope spoke quickly, almost rambling, her eyes locked on where Josie was still swinging precariously inside her cage from a quickly unraveling rope.

“Your blood is vampiric, it is only one component. I also need your werewolf saliva, and you need to be the witch to cast the spell.” He tossed a small wooden bowl over at Hope, seemingly choosing to keep his distance from the tribrid – which, under current circumstances, was probably a good idea. “Mix the blood and saliva venom, then use the mixture to draw the ancient triad on your boyfriend here’s forehead.” He snapped his fingers and Landon, eyes still white and blank, slowly walked over to stand in front of Hope with his back to the pit of bubbling mud. “After that I will recite the incantation to you.” He held up his one hand then, finger first pointing towards Hope before slowly swaying in order to indicate towards Josie instead. “Any funny business and you lose her. Understood? You have made your weakness for her abundantly clear.”

Hope scowled, confused, “How did you know it was her?”

The Necromancer laughed then and simply canted his head to one side, amused at how Hope would underestimate him. “Initially I thought the boy was your weakness, but after using him to spy on the school…and especially that romantic dance…I learned the truth about where your heart really resided.”

“How did you even manage to get hold of her?” Hope was indignant. She was also trying to stall.

“I’m tired of all these trivial questions now.” He snapped his fingers and another piece of the rope holding Josie above the pit gave way. She squeaked in surprise and Hope nearly had a heart attack.

“STOP IT!” Hope growl-shouted at him as her eyes blazed a glorious golden hue and her incisors started to grow thicker and longer behind her lips. She near-panted as she tried to keep herself and her wolf under control, but it was the opportunity she needed to gather what she needed. After licking thoroughly over her canines with her tongue and gathering the liquid she could feel pooling in her mouth, she spat it into the wooden bowl. She then used her canines to break the skin on the wrist of her one arm, letting the blood run into the bowl as well before she healed up again.

“Now there’s a good girl.” The Necromancer spoke at Hope as if she was a dog and it only infuriated her more, but she glanced up at Josie’s pleading eyes and allowed it to give her strength. She stood up straight as she shook away the gold in her eyes and the fangs in her mouth retracted. She mixed the blood and saliva in the bowl with her index finger and stepped up to Landon, then started dipping into the mixture in order to draw the symbol on his forehead.

“Repeat after me now, ‘Servus magicae creaturae quae haurit.’” The dark witch chanted and gave Hope time to repeat his words while she directed her magic at Landon. She could feel the spell was strong, she could feel it draining her reserves, and she could feel her heart breaking for Landon. But none of it was as poignant as the fear she felt to lose Josie. So, concentrating was difficult as she kept glancing towards the siphon in her cage, like a trapped bird, but Hope would put more effort into the spell as she repeated the incantation until Landon, eventually, started glowing a strange orange color. Hope stopped chanting once this happened and watched as Landon turned around and walked right into the pit of mud, but he did not sink into it. In fact, the mud only pushed up to just above his ankles as he came to a stop in the middle of the pit.

Hope and Josie both watched with dread, the Necromancer with delight, as the mud started swirling around Landon, creeping up his legs and his arms like the vines of some sort of horrific creeper plant. Eventually the tendrils of dark liquid encased him completely, and at the same time the pit dried up. However, where Hope expected to see a mud golem standing before her, the mud soon dissipated, as if Landon’s body absorbed it all, and he was left standing in the middle of the mudless pit, looking just like he did before.

“Wait, where’s Malivore?” Hope asked in confusion, slightly out of breath.

“You’re looking at him, sweetheart.” The Necromancer laughed before explaining, “Landon is now a vessel for his father. And not only does he retain the same powers his father had, but I tweaked the magic slightly…” The normally demented look on the dark witch’s face turned even darker then as he glared at Hope. Hope got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “He can now also harm his creators – witches, werewolves, vampires – now no one can escape him!”

At these delighted words uttered by the Necromancer, Landon suddenly grabbed onto Hope’s wrists and tendrils of dark liquid seemed to seethe right from his skin and started twisting around her arms. She was about to be enveloped, she knew, and struggled to pull herself out of Landon’s grasp.

Josie screamed and rattled her cage, yanking as hard as she could on the bars. “Hope! NO!” Her temper flared and her heart raced and her blood ran hot and cold all at the same time. She got to the point of nearly hyperventilating when she could feel the strange sensation burning outward from deep within her. Her eyes slipped shut slowly and when they shot open again, they were glowing a bright copper. Her wolf was clearly not going to allow any harm to come to her mate, completely breaking through Freya’s spell that kept it bound in Josie’s subconscious.

She couldn’t shift, but what she could do was to siphon herself. One spell chanted and she was free of her cage and on the ground, another spell followed quickly, aimed at freezing Landon in place in order to stop his absorption of Hope as she continued to struggle against him. It didn’t work, the Malivore reincarnation simply absorbing the magic cast at him. Josie moved quickly and within two or three bounds she was right up against Landon’s back, her hands grabbing onto his shoulders. She started siphoning as hard and as fast as she could, aiming to weaken him enough to let Hope go.

It worked. It seemed that as long as he was being absorbed and not given the opportunity to absorb, he showed a weak spot. Hope broke free as the tendrils of mud dried around her arms, cracked and fell to the ground. With Josie keeping him busy, Hope turned to the Necromancer, fully intent on dealing with him. To her surprise, he was just standing there watching and smiling. “Oooh my new friend looks angry now.” The witch chuckled and motioned past Hope’s shoulder and when she glanced back, she could see that Landon had broken free of Josie’s hold and had now spun around and was backing her up, closer to the wall of the cave. Since Hope was no longer distracting his actions, he was aiming to absorb Josie instead.

Hope muttered a quick spell under her breath and lifted one hand to aim it at the Necromancer; a blast of magic followed which he easily deflected with his own dark magic within a split second, still laughing, if not more. Hope figured that if she could knock out the puppet master, then the puppet would fall as well. But getting to the dark witch was an entire mission by itself. But maybe… She did the same spell again, but this time she aimed above the witch’s head, causing rocky pieces of the wall behind him and cave ceiling above him to crumble and burry him in rubble and dust. The motion also caused Landon to drop to the floor like a lifeless doll.

Hope knew it wouldn’t last long before the evil maniac blasted those rocks out of his way. “We need to get out of here, now!” She held out her hand for Josie to grab and the two ran as fast as they could from the cave and back in the direction of the school.

“I’ll be back for you!” was all they could hear as they ran, echoing from the cave in that demented tone.


	42. Preparations

Several days passed and the Salvatore collective had no idea what to expect regarding the Necromancer and when he would make his appearance. Alaric seemed skeptical that he would come for them soon, reckoning he’d want to build up Mandon (as they started nicknaming Landon-Malivore) and his strength and capabilities more first before he made a comeback to the school. Then again, he was also adamant that he had no interest in the school initially, but there was also the small fact that Hope and Josie might have pissed him off enough for him to seek revenge.

There was a lot of activity over these few days as they tried to prepare as much as they could for whatever may come. Some research into the matter suggested that Hope might in fact be the only one who could possibly stop Mandon completely, and so the Necromancer might return for them to destroy her for that soul reason. But then he would definitely take some time rather than take a chance. Hope Mikaleson was nothing if not extremely resilient.

In order to strengthen their position, the teachers of the school had taken it upon themselves to start preparing the students for possible danger. The witches were being taught basic offensive magic spells, while the wolves and vampires were receiving extra intensive hand-to-hand combat skills training. The wolves were scrappier, making them better fighters, though the vampires were by far faster and stronger. Ideas were being pooled together in order to figure out better ways to utilize everyone’s natural skills.

In addition, extra protection and barrier spells, as well as parameter alarms have been set up all around the school and school grounds, allowing for several opportunities for anyone to be alerted should any strange magical creatures attempt to breech the area and get to the school. They had been tried and tested and the alarm sounds were loud enough to wake even the heaviest sleeper.

It was one Saturday night late when Hope and Josie found themselves wrapped up in each other’s arms in Hope’s bed. The memories of nearly losing each other so soon after coming together still drummed painfully through their minds, so no one questioned the fact that they wouldn’t leave each other’s side once they had returned. Lizzie started feeling like she was the one with the single room, though she minded very little as it delighted her to see her sister so happy – all demented dark witches set aside.

“Aww, you have a heart-shaped freckle.” Josie giggled lightly, running her index finger lightly over the spot just on the inside of Hope’s hip bone, causing gooseflesh to expand across the milky skin stretching from Hope’s hip to her navel as she could feel Josie’s warm breath on her naked skin.

“I never noticed.” Hope smiled widely as she uttered the words, her tone a little husky at Josie’s proximity. She beckoned silently for the siphon to crawl back upwards to meet Hope face to face, but when she looked down all she could see were those sparkling copper eyes that were alight with playfulness. Her own eyes started glowing gold to match. Ever since Josie’s wolf had burst through Freya’s spell, the glowing eyes had returned – to Hope’s delight. This time, however, it seemed like the girls could practice more control and restraint over the glow. Now they only tended to illuminate under two conditions: anger, and arousal.

Josie was definitely not angry at that moment, and neither was Hope. Nearly losing one another had apparently kicked their hormones up a further notch.

Josie, ignored Hope’s plea for her to move and instead bent down low right then, skimming her lips over the sensitive skin of the dip on the inside of Hope’s hip bone, right where she had found the freckle, and kissed it tenderly. Hope’s back arched without her permission at the hot touch of Josie’s lips and she inhaled deeply before clearing her throat.

“Don’t you dare…” Hope warned her mate, playfully glaring down at her with those wolf eyes.

“Dare what exactly?” Josie mumbled with her lips against Hope’s skin still, then allowed them to travel in a string of soft kisses to Hope’s belly button.

“I’m exhausted. You wear me out…” Hope grinned as she admonished Josie meagerly. She loved the affection, honestly.

“Tired of me already?” Josie let her lips curve into a smile as they ghosted upwards from Hope’s navel, dragging a scorching hot line with the tip of her tongue all the way up the middle dip of Hope’s abdomen.

Hope’s muscles clenched and released as she could feel liquid fire settling low in her belly and finally reached for Josie’s face with her hands, unable to lay still any longer. “Never.” She mumbled as she pulled Josie’s face to her and then swiftly slipped her tongue past Josie’s waiting lips, seeking out hers to wrestle with in an intensely heated kiss. Josie shifted her body to lay between Hope’s thighs with her hips, while hands dug into the pillow on either side of messy auburn locks.

That was when the parameter alarm started blaring. The kiss broke apart sloppily as Hope quickly looked to the clock on her nightstand – it read 12:35 am. If the alarm was going off there was no way that it wasn’t bad news. Josie immediately rolled off of Hope and slipped out of bed, searching for her clothes on the floor while Hope herself went about pulling a clean pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from her dresser. Both of them, along with the entirety of the whole school, was suddenly on high alert as people scuffled from their rooms and grew tense, awaiting an announcement or instructions.

“Hope!” Kaleb came running up the stairs. Some of the senior students took on extra patrol duties at night and he happened to be on right then. “It’s a bunch of wolves. They said they were looking for you.”

Wolves? Hope wondered, confused as she glanced back at Josie standing just over her shoulder. But then it hit them both at the same time – the Crescents! What would they be doing there, of all places? They both rushed outside to meet with them, while the seniors on patrol ushered the rest of the student body back to bed, assuring them that there was no danger that night.

“Hope, Josette… we need your help.” It was Nimyra, bruised and bloodied as if she had been beaten heavily. The siphon rushed to her side first to help her. “Josie” she uttered softly and took the wolf-witch’s arm to keep her steady. She smiled in return and said, “Nim. Call me Nim.”

Behind her two male pack members were carrying River between them with his arms slung around their shoulders. He was nearly passed out as he just moaned from pain every now and then. One more female pack member was standing just off of Nimyra’s shoulder, clearly antsy and agitated. “The hybrid pack, Dawn – they call themselves, they found us. We tried to fight but they killed two of ours and we ran, barely escaping. We can’t go back. We can’t go forward without help. River would kill me if he knew where we were, but right now he’s too out of it to even realize. But I… I trust you two. Please – help us…”

And Hope could find nothing but fear and sincerity in those steel blue eyes.


	43. New Dynamics

It was a late Sunday afternoon the next day when Josie found herself seated at a table in the dining hall with Nimyra. The previous night they had allowed the wolves to get comfortable in the transition cells after making them slightly more livable, and Alaric wanted them contained until they were sure the wolves were not there to cause trouble. It had been pretty obvious, however, that they were in dire need of help. Every single member of the pack had been badly attacked and carried bruises, gashes and broken bones. Luckily all they needed was a place to rest and some nutrients in order to heal over time. They didn’t heal as fast as the vampires did, but they were proud and would not make use of vampire blood, choosing to suffer through to late the next day when most of them started feeling better.

“I haven’t had a chance to say that I’m sorry…” Josie breathed slowly as she spoke softly to Nim next to her. “For your losses, I mean, and all you have suffered. If we had been there still…”

“If you had been there you probably would have been dead as well. There were dozens of them – they came at us in full force. Dozens of wolf-vampire hybrids. We stood no chance. Kaylin died first. Gastuan died trying to protect River. River barely survived.” Nim recounted events with pain etched into her features, her voice cracking at certain spots in her sentence, and her breath catching at other points. “They’re an ugly pack of mangy creatures, Josie, with no mercy or remorse. I’m afraid of the kind of influence they might exercise in NOLA.”

“Nim, I swear their time will come. One day, when we survive what’s inevitably headed our way, we’ll get rid of them afterwards. You’ll have your home back.” Josie comforted the wolf-witch as best as she could, letting her one hand reach out to hold Nim’s just below the bandage that sat wrapped tightly around her wrist and arm.

“So, what exactly is headed this way? We just about had a heart attack at all the spells and alarms when we tried to get to the school.” Nim arched a brow and Josie smiled softly and sadly, then went into a terribly long rhetoric regarding Malivore and the Necromancer and how the whole situation came to be.

“Okay, that sounds about ten million times more complicated than our situation.” Nim shook her head disbelievingly by the time Josie had reached the end of her story. It took a while.

“Maybe…” Josie ventured tentatively, “Maybe we could make these situations OUR situations, you know?”

Nim frowned in confusion. “You mean like, work together? We help you and you help us?”

Josie bit her bottom lip, pretty sure she was speaking out of turn now, but she felt like she needed to plant the seed at least. “I was thinking more of…uniting, period.”

Nim leaned back as the thought sunk in, her icy gaze suddenly growing darker. “River would never consent. He won’t give up being alpha for anyone or anything.”

“Why is he alpha? Am I allowed to ask that question?” Josie tilted her head curiously.

“He earned the position. We were all scrappy little shits when we found each other and there were mild power struggles. But River was the one that really stood tall amongst everyone. He came up with survival strategies and saw to it that we obtained all of our basic needs. He found us our home in the Bayou and always made sure that we were kept off the radar. He was bigger and stronger than the rest of us and he knew what he wanted and took it. He is a leader. He was born to be a leader, and he has the respect of his pack. And I know he seems a bit gruff and egotistical, but trust me – he’s a good guy. He just wants to take care of us.” It was obvious that when Nim spoke about River she truly did so with the utmost admiration and respect and Josie wouldn’t be able to bear interfering with that. But still she couldn’t help but wonder if this was Hope’s chance…

“But what about you? You haven’t been able to complete the transformation yet, have you?” Nim raised her brows at Josie, who simply shook her head. “It’s a lot more complicated than we thought it would be.”

“It involves an alpha and an ancient mating ritual, doesn’t it?” She grinned then and Josie stared at her, shocked.

“If you knew, why didn’t you say anything!” She spat, thought she was sort of relieved that there was someone else now who knew and understood exactly what was expected. Once again, there were certain small details that she hid from her father and her sister whenever she retold them the stories and gave them information. “How does this ritual work? It’s freaking me out.”

Nim’s grin turned somewhat lascivious right then when she asked, “You and Hope… you two are… like... yeah?” Josie burned hot over her cheeks but she managed to nod in answer. “Alright well then there’s nothing to it. You don’t have to worry about it. As soon as Hope claims her position as alpha over a pack, the unification ritual between you two will happen kind of automatically. Like, you won’t be able to avoid it from taking place. No special preparations required.” She chuckled then and left Josie thoroughly confused, the state in which she would remain as they were interrupted soon enough.

“Hey Jo…” Jade let the nickname still tumble easily from her lips and could be glad that Hope wasn’t close enough to catch it. The vampire sauntered over and allowed her eyes to rest on the new person.

“Hi Jade, this is Nimyra, she’s one of the wolves that came in last night.” Josie introduced them politely enough, watching in amusement the way that Jade raked her eyes over the slightly shorter female from top to bottom when she stood to shake Jade’s hand.

“Please, call me Nim. It’s a pleasure.” Nim smiled widely at Jade, something about the spark in her eye catching Josie’s attention. Jade’s own gaze was somewhat intense and Josie felt pleased with the developing moment and its undertones.

“Jade, why don’t you take Nim on a little tour of the school and the grounds. She still hasn’t seen most of it. I have to meet up with Lizzie soon anyway.” Josie encouraged and it didn’t take much for the other two females to agree to such an arrangement and casually stroll off into the building.

Josie watched their backs with a small smile, sincerely hoping she just managed to make a good match, when she suddenly found her vision cast in complete darkness. Only for a second did her eyes flash before she realized it was Hope who had covered Josie’s eyes with her hands playfully. The gesture was followed by one of love as she placed a gentle kiss on Josie’s temple and wrapped her up in a hug from behind before settling into the chair next to her where Nim had been seated.

“Hey babe…” Hope released the foreign nickname without even realizing what she was doing. She had never called Josie anything other than her name or ‘Jo’ for short, but somehow the term of endearment rolled off her tongue with such ease. It was, however, embarrassing, as Josie lifted one brow in her direction. Luckily, she was grinning pleasantly as well, causing Hope to chuckle. “Anyway! What was that all about?” She motioned in the direction that Jade and Nim had disappeared.

“Nim and I were just chatting. I explained our situation to her and she told me more about what happened to them. She’s a really nice girl. I feel at ease with her, you know? Like I can completely trust her.” Josie smiled softly as her eyes travelled back from the door the other girls had exited through to settle on Hope before her.

“Should I be worried?” Hope quirked both brows, though there was a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Josie shoved her playfully, then decided to take hold of the front of her shirt and pull her close. “Never.” Josie whispered as her lips brushed over Hope’s, then reached further to press in a deliciously gentle but firm motion against them.

“Never is a long time…” Hope grinned against Josie’s mouth as the kiss ended, not minding one bit that she’d get to spend such a lengthy amount of time with her love.

“Oooh speaking of…” Josie suddenly pulled back with wide eyes locked on Hope. “Nim mentioned something about the unification ritual. She says once you claim your position as alpha over a pack it will just kind of happen – like, we don’t have to prepare for anything, something about not being able to stop it from happening.”

Hope’s eyes grew wide then and she swallowed, hard. The thing is, she already knew what the ancient unification ritual entailed. She had asked Freya and Keelin that night after Josie had stormed out and had been keeping it to herself for very specific reasons. She felt guilty for not sharing it with Josie, but at the same time she didn’t want to say anything that could make things awkward between them. Regardless of her emotions, she knew it would happen once the timing was right.

“I’ll have to talk to Keelin about it some more before anything happens. But it sounds simple enough then…” Hope grinned and nodded, pretending to be none the wiser.

“I just came from Raf and the other Salvatore wolves.” Hope continued, swiftly changing the topic. “They’re not pleased with another pack infringing upon their territory, no matter how small.” Hope sighed and ran an uneasy hand back through her hair. “They are of the opinion that if the Crescents are going to stick around, that they then need to submit to Raf and integrate with the pack.”

Josie gave a sigh to match the frustrated one Hope had uttered a moment ago. “River won’t do that. Nim told me that he’s too proud; that he wouldn’t step down for anything.”

“Yeah I gathered as much the last time he threatened me to fight.” Hope shook her head, remembering their meeting in the Bayou. “Apparently there was already a small scuffle between Jed and one of River’s betas. I’m yet to talk to him about it. I haven’t seen him since they came in, but clearly he’s feeling better.”

“Oh em gee, are you talking about the new alpha wolf?” Lizzie seemed to appear out of nowhere, and judging by the wide smile on her face she was exceptionally excited. Both Hope and Josie frowned at her. “Oh, come on, don’t either of you even pretend that you didn’t noticed how he looks like a Native American God!” She gasped as she noticed the looks on their faces.

“Uhh, aren’t you seeing MG?” Hope asked in confusion.

“Casually.” She gave Hope a pointed look, then inhaled deeply and dreamily, eyes cast towards some invisible point in the distance. “But who can resist an olive-skinned, dark-maned alpha male on whose abs you can practically grate cheese?” She sighed as if she was already pondering what their children would look like.

“He is rather attractive.” Josie shrugged in agreement.

Hope’s eyes blazed gold without her even realizing it as she snapped her gaze towards Josie. “Excuse me?” For some reason Hope could deal with the banter surrounding Nim, or even an annoying Jade hovering around. But the thought of Josie simply glancing at River longer than necessary made her skin crawl and made her wolf extremely angry.

It made her wolf want to burst through her skin and rip the alpha to pieces.

It made her want to claim Josie again and again in any way possible.

This was HER territory, and Josie was HER mate, and before Hope knew what was happening, she was growling deeply as her canines started enlarging and growing.

Lizzie stared with wide eyes and backed away a bit, while Josie quickly cupped Hope’s face in her hands as gently as she could, while still firm enough to force Hope’s gaze to focus on her own. “Baby… babe? Hey, it’s okay…”

Hope swallowed what felt like a thick knot down her throat and took a deep breath, her eyes closing tightly as she tried to center herself. She had no idea why she was busy losing it there for a second.

“Are you okay?” Josie spoke softly and tentatively and Hope finally opened her eyes; Josie was relieved that they were their normal icy blue color.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m sorry. I don’t know what just triggered that…” But she had her suspicions, even though she tried to shake them from her head.

“You were downright riddled with jealousy there!” Lizzie laughed once she was sure Hope wouldn’t physically hurt her in an aggravated state.

“Lizzie…” Josie shot her sister a stern warning look, but Hope was soon shaking her head again.

“No, I think she’s right. I think…” Hope cleared her throat and observed the marks she had subconsciously left on the palms of her hands from her nails digging into them just now. “I think my wolf perceives River as a threat.”

Well then, she thought, this might turn out to be quite problematic.


	44. Shifting Paradigm

“Ah, finally, the famous tribrid comes to see me!” River grinned from his perch on a fallen tree some feet away from the water of the lake. The other two male wolves from his pack were busy wrestling each other into the dirt – obviously practicing or blowing off some steam as their alpha looked on.

“Come on, it’s getting late. Dr Saltzman wants you guys down in the basement soon.” Hope approached the dominant male slowly, but not at all wearily. If anything, she could feel herself bristle just by the sight of him. It was irrational, she knew. He was not the bad guy of the story and she had no real reason to feel hostile towards him. However, her wolf would not be stilled deep within her chest.

“Like some wild animals, right?” River scoffed and stood up, tall and proud.

“Don’t take it too personally. We have a lot going on.” Hope rolled her eyes and smirked. “Not everything revolves around you, ya know.” She then pointed to a small cut on his forehead whereas the day before it had been a major gash that she wasn’t sure would stop bleeding. “I’m glad to see you’re looking – and obviously feeling – better.”

“Yeah, sure.” He smirked and stepped closer to her. “Soon we’ll be right as rain and we can get out of your hair.”

“Where would you go? You can’t go home.” Hope asked, a little startled. Despite that the presence of the dominant male rubbed her wolf the wrong way, she still felt care and concern for the wolves. They were, after all, the only members – along with her – left of the once mighty Crescents.

“No, we can’t.” River sighed as he shoved his hands deep into his jean pockets and turned to watch the sun set through the reeds and over the water of the lake. “We’ll seek a new one. We need to find a town we can settle close to, but still remain independent of.”

“You mean like here?” Hope stated the obvious and smirked at the back of River’s head.

River turned back around and matched Hope’s smirk with a contrite expression. “I’ll admit, we do like it here.” He shrugged his shoulders and kicked at the ground with the toe of one shoe. “Nim is 18, so is Velles. Dolin is 17 and Quin 16. They could use a place like this.”

“And what about you?” Hope arched a brow curiously.

“Nah, I’m done with school. But they’ll always be my pack. I won’t leave them.” River looked at Hope with a certain steely expression.

“Well, we have a problem. If you want to stay, you have to integrate into the school’s pack. This is their home, and it could be yours, but you have to at least respect the boundaries then. You know how important that is in wolf terms.” Hope wanted to plead with him. She didn’t want any more incidents between the Crescents and the Salvatores. She knew they all had bigger things to worry about and prepare for than wolf-politics and it was irritating her that she even needed to play mediator.

“Integrate…” River repeated after her and nodded, seemingly lost in thought as his brow creased in concentration, his dark eyes staring at an invisible point in space. “And submit to… what’s his name… Rafael, right?” River bit his lip then as he looked at Hope for an answer.

Hope simply nodded. Darkness was starting to surround them and she was getting anxious about getting the males back to the transition cells. River seemed to have other ideas though as he stepped back from Hope and whistled to Velles and Dolin who had been play-wrestling off to the side. First River’s eyes started glowing a bright golden hue, though within a second the other two males followed suite. The three started removing their clothes.

“I need to convene with my pack. We’ll be back by midnight. I promise.” By the time he had finished his sentence his subordinates had already taken off into the woods. Hope felt uneasy, her own wolf suddenly itching to be let loose. She could feel the golden glaze creep over her own vision as she watched River start to run but dive and shift before disappearing from sight amidst the trees. A minute or two later Hope could hear the alpha start to howl, calling his pack, and they answered one by one – even the females that had been at the school had bolted into the woods to join their packmates.

Hope could feel her skin crawl as her wolf struggled just below the surface, begging her to be let loose. The howling was driving her animal instincts wild and she felt her self-control falter. It took a few long moments of trying to maintain her control for the wolf to win, but eventually she did as Hope breathed heavily one second, and tore through her clothes the next. She shoved one paw after the other into the dirt beneath her as she listened to the howling, whining and whimpering as she itched to run towards it, to answer its call. But her wolf knew it wasn’t for her, and that she was not part of it all. Yelping one final time, she turned and ran in the opposite direction as fast as she could, trying to ignore the call, trying to ignore her instincts, trying to ignore the strong pull of the pack.

She ran until she lost track of time and only knew that it was long past midnight by the time she could feel the ache in her legs. Stealthily she slipped into the school and up to her room where Josie was already sound asleep in her bed. Hope took a moment of watching the siphon, allowing the realization that she had Josie by her side to soothe her restless soul. Before long, Hope was freshly showered and had her mate curled up in her arms. She pressed a tired kiss to Josie’s forehead before falling into a restless slumber, dreaming of wolves.

(…)

It was a Monday morning with everyone busy in their respective classes, Hope herself being stuck in Traditional Magic and Potions. It was only second period, and that’s how long it took that morning before all semblance of peace and order went flying through the window – quite literally. Hope blinked in confusion as she could see through the window that she was seated next to, how a chair had gone crashing through one of the windows of the gym. Hope also knew that this time on a Monday morning was wolf phys-ed.

This was by no means a good sign.

Hope shoved her way through curious and restless students as she jumped from her seat and rushed for the door, quickly pushing her way through the corridors to get to the gym. By the time she broke into the large room, she couldn’t believe what she saw. River was standing over a beaten half-unconscious Rafael with his eyes on fire, while the rest of the Salvatore pack was seated on their knees in front of him, as if submitting to him – which was exactly what they were doing.

“What did you do?” Hope yelled as she tried to rush over to Rafael to check if he was okay, but her movements were quickly halted by the two Crescent males and their illuminated eyes blocking her way.

“You said we had to integrate. So that’s what we’re doing.” River breathed heavily from where he still stood steadfast over Rafael’s body, staring down each member of the Salvatore pack individually, establishing a sort of connection with each one. They now belonged to him.

Hope was furious and her own eyes were set ablaze by the sight of her friend curled up and bloodied on the floor. “I didn’t say challenge the established alpha!”

“Why not? He was weaker – of body, of mind, even of heart. He wasn’t fit to lead any longer.” River shrugged, though his stance and his gaze did not change from what he was still busy doing.

“You don’t know anything about him or what he’s been through recently!” Hope shouted heatedly at River, her incisors showing tell-tale signs of enlarging and protruding. “You had no right!”

River suddenly looked up at Hope, finally allowing gold to meet gold as the tension rode the wave of electricity shooting from one pair of eyes to another. All around them students clamored together and shoved past one another, wanting a better view of what everyone was saying was inevitable. Those wolves closest to the pair currently locked in a staring contest automatically started backing up to make space for the two, the furiously violent intent that both held now palpable in the air. 

Josie and Lizzie watched from the inner circle of students that had formed around the aggressive pair, faces broken with both concern and excitement. Josie’s eyes were illuminated in a bright copper and she couldn’t give a crap about who saw it. The brightly glowing orbs were locked on her mate with pride.

“It wasn’t even a fair fight. He can’t access his wolf side like you can…” Hope growled under her breath as she squared off with River, starting to pull her sweater from her body, soon tossing it aside and then moving to unbutton her shirt.

“Perhaps. But you can. So, don’t be a damn disappointment!” River pulled his shirt over his head and growled his last words loudly at Hope in return.

“Uhhhhh… Why are they getting naked?” Lizzie noted suddenly with wide eyes as both Hope and River continued to remove pieces of clothing.

“They don’t even realise what they’re doing because it hasn’t happened in so long…” Nim uttered from the other side of Josie, her eyes still aglow along with the rest. “But it’s a Crescent tradition, especially between two true alphas. They’ll fight for dominance in wolf form.”

Nim had barely finished her sentence when there were suddenly, through the crack of bones and roaring of animalistic human sounds, two massive wolves standing in the middle of the gym – one white as snow, the other with a black-streaked gray coat.

Every single vampire in the room disappeared within seconds, leaving the witches and wolves to rally around the pair as they got ready to face off against each other.

Hope finally dug her front paws into the floor beneath her and catapulted herself towards the darker River. Once the fight had started it was an utter mess from beginning to end. There was not a second that went by without the scent of venom or a spray of blood. Fur was ripped from the one body and then the next, the floor beneath their paws littered with lost clumps of hair and further blood smears. One loud growl and bark matched another, and scattered in between the growling and the barking and the snarling were all the little whimpering, whining and yelping sounds of pain as the two wolves just about destroyed one another. There was no point at which it seemed like the one or the other would be the victor – just as Hope stood tall over River, the male would use his powerful body to reverse the position again, before Hope could slip out from under him and pin him back down once more. The tug was continuously back and forth, pain being dealt in equal and equally violent measures. By the 8th minute of intense fighting, both wolves were panting for air.

They were too evenly matched.

No, they weren’t.

It was Hope.

She could do more, be more…

River circled Hope so that they could rotate their positions within the ring of people watching them. Purposefully.

He reached Josie and simply rubbed his body up against her as if wanting to mark her.

Josie stood frozen and shocked.

Hope… well, Hope.

Hope became murderous. Launching herself at River had never been easier; wrestling his large and clumsy body to the ground was a piece of cake; Pinning him down with his back to the floor was a cinch; and once she had her jaws firmly wrapped around his throat, he was yelping and whining for mercy. Hope was almost tempted to not give it to him.

No. One. Touched. Her. Mate.

Ever.

Hope finally pulled away once she was satisfied that she had fully subdued River and allowed him to lick the blood from her chin and snarling mouth as a show of respect. All the other wolves in the room moved in around the large white wolf and sunk down to their knees in a show of submission; both the Salvatores and the Crescents.

Hope realized what she had done then – not only had she taken down the alpha of one pack, but two. In one swoop she pushed her way to the top of the wolf hierarchy and manifested herself as alpha of both packs – now combining into one under her rule. As she stood tall and made eye contact with each of her pack members, a sort of undercurrent ran through the room; a ripple that affected every single wolf kneeling down in the room. One by one, as the original Salvatore members looked up towards their new alpha, their eyes were aglow. In becoming alpha – and more importantly by earning it the way she had – she was able to share her capabilities with the whole pack. Hope Mikaelson, in all of her powerful and mystical glory, was able to create a new pack of evolved werewolves within the blink of a golden eye.


	45. Surreptitious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m just going to slap a bit of a Mature rating on this chapter for sexual content. It’s not explicit, by any means, but it is more risqué than what I’ve written into the fic before. Sorry if you’re not keen on it!
> 
> Also – “Halo” by Beyoncé

_…_

_“So, how is the unification ritual completed anyway? Do we have to go through some weird crap like drinking a hallucinogenic and communing with the ancestors?” Hope arched one brow as she looked from Freya to Keelin, after Josie had stormed upstairs and effectively locked herself in the room she was staying in. Hope knew she wouldn’t talk to anyone at that point._

_“Well… not quite… and I guess it depends on your definition of ‘weird’.” Keelin smirked at Hope, though her worried eyes still lingered on the top of the stairs that she could still see from her position on the couch._

_…_

Josie let out an unexpected squeak as her back hit the door of Hope’s room, Hope essentially using Josie’s body to shut the door, a hand reaching around her waist a second later to lock it. Hope’s eyes were glowing brighter than they had ever done before, even in her human form, which was currently fresh from the fight and wrapped up in nothing but someone else’s coat. Josie had snagged it from a bystander as soon as Hope and River had shifted back after the fight and threw it around Hope in an attempt to protect whatever modesty she had left.

But whatever modesty was left was about to fly out the window as Hope attached her mouth to Josie’s lips hungrily, the brunet responding with equal amounts of ferocious desire. There was something different in the way they longed to devour one another this time. It was deeply instinctual, primordial and an absolute necessity. Just like all the other times they had been uncontrollably drawn to one another before Josie’s wolf had been blocked off, it was the same now. Their wolves were driving them forward, driving them inward, driving them crazy with wanton yearning for one another.

The only difference was that now there was absolutely nothing to stop them. That same instinctual need was dominating and it would most definitely win.

_…_

_“Like we’ve explained before, the unification ceremony is more a consolidation of power between packs and is more like a traditional marriage than anything.” Freya said, then cleared her throat a little awkwardly, waiting for Keelin to pick up where she had left off._

_Keelin smirked at her wife, then explained. “The unification ritual is more ancient and is performed when an alpha is unifying with their chosen mate, as long as the mate is also a twin flame. The moment of unification takes place between your souls, minds, bodies, hearts, and your wolves. Everything is drawn together. So, whenever the opportunity for unification presents itself, it will happen without hesitation. The unification, so to say, kind of becomes a need and not a want or a decision that is consciously up to you anymore.”_

_…_

Even when Josie closed her eyes she could not escape the luminosity of the bright copper glow, and when she opened them and saw Hope’s equally lit up gaze staring back at her, she felt like she would lose all control of herself. Her fingers tugged at the buttons of the coat Hope was wearing with such eager haste that she actually popped two of them off, the faint sound of plastic clattering against a wooden floor getting lost in the sound of blood rushing through her ears in a rhythmic pairing of the drumming of her heart.

Clumsily, she tried to push Hope back to the bed, but the alpha would not allow her to steer their course. Hope wanted to be in charge. She needed to be in charge. In fact, Hope was in charge, and grabbed onto Josie’s hips firmly with her strong grasp. She spun her around, pushing her backwards to her desk.

Gripping her firmly, Hope lifted Josie onto the desk with ease when she finally collided with it, sending several books and papers and stationery of all sorts rattling to the ground. Neither cared. Neither cared when Hope tugged Josie’s sweater over her head a second later, right before shirking herself out of the coat that was still hanging from her shoulders. The cool air hit her flushed skin, but she could not feel it. She was too warm to notice, and too hungry to care.

Pushing her naked body up between Josie’s thighs as she let them fall apart left the siphon breathless and tingling in all the right ways. Hope made short work of the buttons on Josie’s uniform blouse and the accompanying skirt, and when Josie was left with nothing but her underwear, she found her ankles automatically hooking around Hope’s hips and her arms securing around her shoulders as the tribrid lifted her off the desk and carried her to the bed.

_…_

_“You’ll feel the pull towards your mate to be undeniably strong.” Keelin continued after a moment’s pause, trying to search for the most appropriate way to explain what is likely to happen. “As much as we are, or seem, human on the surface, our wolves are still animals. A new alpha wolf will first and foremost, in nature, find the most suitable female to mate with.” Keelin paused again and grinned a little as Hope’s eyes went wide and she blushed a scarlet colour._

_“Wait, mate? Is that what the unification ritual is about? Mating? Like… sex?” Hope spluttered, the thought of being intimate with Josie in such a way both terrifying and absolutely delightful. The mere thought of it caused liquid fire to settle into the bottom of her belly and her hearth to thrash wildly inside her ribcage._

_“This female becomes the alpha subordinate, the female alpha, or the alpha’s mate – however you’d like to term it.” Keelin casually sidestepped the question, for the time being. “Since you and Josie are twin flames and your wolves have already established their bond with one another, you won’t be going looking for the most eligible bachelorette in town. Your instincts will be more driven towards finally fully establishing that mate-bond with Josie and fully claiming her for yourself, before any other pack members may get any risky ideas.”_

_Keelin cleared her throat awkwardly now as well. Freya was staring solidly at the wall far above Hope’s head, unwilling to look her niece in the eye. “And yes…” Keelin finally continued. “It is about mating, or rather, sex. But it’s not just that alone.”_

_…_

Hope roughly tugged Josie’s underwear down her thighs and slipped the pair from her ankles, discarding it to the already forgotten pile of clothes on the floor. The tribrid then allowed rippling muscle to pull the slenderer girl into her lap, forcing Josie into a straddling position atop Hope.

Josie let her fingers dig deeply into the auburn tresses and tugged the other girl closer, signaling for Hope to let her lips readily latch onto Josie’s collarbone. She nipped at the protrusion slightly before letting her tongue guide her warm mouth across Josie’s skin onto the other side of her upper chest. Josie’s hips moved to a rhythm that not only the two of them could hear, but rather one that they were creating all their own.

Hope’s hands wandered Josie’s body like a blind man reading a piece of paper, the bumps on Josie’s skin akin to braille beneath Hope’s fingertips. She wanted to unlock Josie’s deepest secrets that lay hidden between the bronzed pages of her thighs, her fingers, her breasts… Hope worshipped Josie’s body as if a student of the siphon’s gospel, bowing down in spiritual awe, and completely enraptured by the goddess that was the young woman on top of her.

As their movements increased in speed and intensity, Hope could see in no color other than the golden glaze of her gaze, and when she cast her sight upon Josie’s exposed neck again, she could feel her canines start to extend. She was deaf to all sound other than Josie’s wanton moaning and breathless gasping and nothing else mattered more than this moment, the absolute peak of exertion.

_…_

_“You have to bite her.” Keelin stared Hope dead in the eye._

_Hope frowned. “But I already did, and she bit me.”_

_“In an ethereal realm, yes. And yes, you carry the marks, but it’s not the same. Think of those as… engagement rings, for instance. They were the start of the bond, the promise to be.” Keelin tried to explain the situation metaphorically. “Biting her after becoming alpha is a proper way of marking that she belongs to you. It’s like the wedding ring, and it is a bite that takes place in the actual physical realm. In many olden cultures the only way to actually seal a marriage and make it legal was to copulate afterwards. Certain cultures would have the whole village observe the deed. Humans and animals alike, though we have evolved, certain instincts remain very deep and steadfast.”_

_“So, the sex… errr… mating, and biting, have to go hand in hand because of ancient animalistic rites and rituals? This is overtly bestial!” Hope tried to keep her voice down, but couldn’t hide the shock and uncertainty mingling in her tone._

_“Regardless of what you think about it,” Keelin shook her head, “it is also unavoidable. It will happen whether you like it or not – if you become the alpha of a pack, your wolf will want to claim her mate ASAP, and that is Josie.”_

_Reaching out to take Hope’s hand then, Keelin gave her a serious gaze. “Don’t deny what you are, Hope. And never deny what your wolf wants.”_

_…_

The moment Hope could feel the warmth of euphoria spread through her body, she arched forward and clamped down on Josie’s shoulder with her set of wolf incisors. Immediately she could taste the blood that she drew from her mate, and Josie called out at the same time, though Hope’s lusty fogged up brain was unsure whether the sound was from pleasure or pain. At the moment the two seemed the same.

Josie dug her nails so deeply into Hope’s shoulder blades that they scorched angry red marks along the milky skin of Hope’s flesh as she dragged them downward. By the time Hope finally relented and released her jaws from Josie’s shoulder, she looked at the bite and knew it would form a small scar that would never quite disappear. She studied it with pride.

Hope was finally satisfied. Hope’s wolf, rather, was finally satisfied.

Josie’s wolf, on the other hand, had finally awaken fully. Josie could feel it, and so could Hope.

“We need to get outside. We need to get to the woods.” Josie whimpered suddenly as she could feel the strange changes starting to run their course through her blood. “Now!”

(…)

The pair barely made it to the old mill before Josie couldn’t handle the pain anymore of a shift that was clearly being forced upon her as a direct result of what had just occurred. It was the one thing Hope was not prepared for or aware would happen – was that Josie would shift immediately after the unification.

“Love, just let it consume you. There’s nothing left and there’s nothing out here that can get in the way. The pain is brutal, I know, but you have survived it before without shifting, now just imagine –“ Hope tried to encourage Josie through the shift, tried to guide her on how to handle it. Hope knew words meant very little when your bones were breaking and reforming themselves, but she wanted to do for Josie what her father had done for her.

“Let the pain consume you, just let it all in because if you don’t fight it, it can’t break you. And when you can feel the dirt underneath you, you just run, and I’ll be right behind you.” Hope encouraged further in between removing both of the coats that they had hastily wrapped around themselves before skipping out of the school building.

Josie was still crying from agony minutes later when Hope crouched down before her and grabbed her face in both hands, bringing her to settle her copper gaze on the golden one of Hope. “I’m waiting for you. My wolf is waiting for yours. Get through this and the whole world will change. Come away with us and we’ll show you a world beyond your imagination…” Hope leaned in and kissed the whimpering Josie softly, then stepped back and called out in pain as she shifted as quickly as she could – which was in under 5 seconds as she had taught herself.

The white wolf barked and whined before stepping up to a crouched over Josie and started licking her face. When their illuminated gazes finally met the moment Josie held her breath long enough to look up and through the pain, it was as if everything went quiet around them suddenly. Josie stopped writhing in pain, blinked once, blinked twice, let out one final scream of agony and let it all go. Within 3 seconds, there was a stunning black wolf facing Hope in her own snowy white coat. Josie had made it through.

Hope yipped in utter excitement and bumped her head against Josie’s before stroking up against the whole length of her body. Josie seemed unsure of what to do at first, but soon she found her voice and whined playfully at Hope, then spun around in small circles with her mate until she tripped and fell over her own paws with a yelp. She guessed she still needed to get used to those. Hope then barked at her and started trotting off into the woods, Josie shortly on her heels.

As soon as Josie had started getting the hang of things, Hope sped up and ran faster and faster, and Josie would keep up, quick and agile and magnificently graceful. They weaved past each other as they thread through the trees, jumping over logs and skidding through mud down by the stream. They splashed through the water and rushed through the clearing full of flowers, sending petals wafting into the air everywhere. They flew through the forest without wings and inhaled every scent they could find, chased every movement they could see and pivoted at every sound they could hear.

The world was theirs.

Together.

There was just one more thing left that they needed to do together…

As Hope stepped up to Josie’s side on a bit of higher ground, they both cast their gaze towards the school and paused for a minute. Hope seemed unsure, but buzzing with excitement at the same time. Josie ran her nose underneath Hope’s chin in a show of comfort and support, before Hope turned her gaze to her mate next to her. She just needed one final bump of affection against her love’s head.

The next minute, Hope threw her head back and opened her maw just slightly, a deep howl dragged out into the thin air above her, then spread all around as it echoed against trees and rocks, She did it again and the howl was heard clearly all throughout the area, strong and incessant. The howl would repeat itself a few more times before, finally, Josie started joining in, and before they knew it there were others as well.

The whole process took about 20 minutes or so, but one by one the pack members started emerging from the school and shifted, running through the trees, running towards the howl and then joining in when they reached their destination. Finally Hope stood atop some elevated ground, Josie flanking her to one side, and a pack of wolves, about 30 strong, at her feet.

They needed to bond.

And the best way to bond?

It was time to hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: On a side note, I’ve been putting some more thought and work into “West of Forever” and I reckon it could be made into a pretty good story with lots of intrigue and secrets and backstabbing betrayals and a lot of Hope just kicking ass and being a cocky little shite about it! So, if you haven’t checked it out yet, please pay a visit to my user site and have a look at my AU Hosie fic!


	46. Stepping Up

Alaric leaned back in his chair, his right hand curled into a fist against which he rested his chin. His brow was creased in thoughtful contemplation as he eyed Hope closely, but definitely not lightly.

“So…you claimed alpha…not just over the Crescents…but over ALL of the wolves?” He expressed the obvious facts.

Hope swallowed a little and gave a small nod. “Uhh…yes?”

Alaric nodded, the expression on his face unaltered and it was honestly causing Hope to feel awkwardly worried.

“And then you turned my daughter into a wolf?” Alaric asked calmly, but Hope could swear she could see the vein on the side of his neck pulsating at an alarming rate.

“Umm…yes…sir?” Hope swallowed thickly again.

“Do I even want to know how it all happened?” Alaric unclenched his fist in order to rub over his brow with his index and middle fingers.

“Ahhh…probably not. Sir.” Hope smiled sweetly.

Alaric just grit his teeth.

(…)

As soon as Hope spotted Josie meandering through the corridors on her way to her next class, she set in upon her. She was barely a foot away from Josie by the time the younger girl caught sight of her and found herself immediately enveloped in a strong pair of arms. “Hide me.” Hope mumbled into Josie’s collar, her face hidden in the fabric around Josie’s neck.

“Aww baby what’s wrong?” Josie simply wrapped her arms around Hope in return and gave her a warm and comforting hug, loving the fresh scent filling her nostrils as it wafted up from Hope’s hair. Josie would love nothing more than to ditch the rest of her classes and get lost in more than just the scent of Hope’s hair.

“Your dad is a little…upset with me.” Hope mumbled with her face hidden in Josie’s neck still as they clung onto each other, but soon enough Hope pulled back in order to look her mate in the eye.

“Upset about…?” Josie implored with brows arched.

“Oh, you know, the usual. Destroying the entire wolf hierarchy. Turning his daughter into a wolf. Doing other…things to his baby girl in order to turn her into a wolf.” Hope bit her bottom lip as she eyed Josie for a reaction.

Josie just about choked on her own saliva and turned a bright shade of scarlet as her eyes went wide. “You didn’t! You told him… EVERYTHING?”

“I basically told him he does NOT want all of the details… but apparently that was enough to set his imagination running wild.” Hope shrugged, as if there was any way she could have avoided upsetting the father of her mate and her current headmaster. She was really good at pissing him off already anyway. “So yeah, I’m not his favorite right now.”

“GOD this is so embarrassing.” Josie whined and dragged her fingers down her face as if she could wipe the guilt from her features. She knew she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Not only was the unification absolutely insanely amazing, but she had also never felt anything better than running and being free like they had done afterwards. It was definitely her new favorite thing.

“I’m sorry.” Hope sighed as she looked up into those delicious chocolate eyes once more. “But you know what though?”

“Hmmm?” Josie hummed, forgetting for a second all about her discomfort and getting lost in the icy pools of blue before her and the delicious warmth of the body pressed so tightly against her.

“I love you.” Hope uttered softly with a smile and it was all the encouragement Josie needed to lean down and capture those irresistibly pink lips with her own in a soft kiss. After drawing some teasing and some jokes from those around them, Josie pulled back just enough to whisper in return, “I love you too…”

(…)

“Hey boss.” Nim grinned as Josie found her sliding into the next desk beside her own. Josie felt briefly confused for several reasons.

First, she had to remember that, like herself, Nim was also a hybrid and therefore would still be taking witch-oriented classes, such as their current Nonverbal Charms class. Secondly, Nim was also the same age as Josie and thus slotted right into her year without issues, proving to be exceptionally bright and knowledgeable on top of that as well. And thirdly – boss? Josie knitted her brows in confusion as she silently formed the words with her pouty lips.

Nim cackled at Josie’s confusion as she tried to wrap her head around the word and its meaning, before finally relenting and helping her out. “You’re the boss, Jo. The only boss bossier than you is Hope.” When Josie still seemed confused, and Nim still couldn’t still her laughter, she slid her chair closer and took the time they had in waiting for the teacher to show to explain it to her.

“See, Hope is now the alpha. She is in charge, top of the food chain, the top dog – in a manner of speaking of course. Second to her is you – the alpha’s mate, or the subordinate alpha. You are also an alpha, you’re just not the dominant alpha.” When Josie still seemed to struggle to wrap her head around it all, Nim opted for a metaphorical analogy. “It’s like she’s the king and you’re the queen.”

Josie understood everything Nim was saying, but it was struggling to sink in. All this time she had been pushing for Hope to take her birthright as alpha and lead her pack, but Josie never quite fully realized what that would entail for her. And as a brand-new wolf, she had no clue how her place in the hierarchy functioned. “Nim I need your help, please!” She asked suddenly with panicked, wide eyes. She couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing her mate in any way. “I need you to teach me how to be a wolf.”

(…)

“You want to challenge me? Right here, right now? Are you sure about that?” Hope’s golden gaze was on fire as she went toe to toe with River later that day. The wolves had gathered for hierarchical divisions so that they could start in on their training as specific units within a bigger team.

Hope knew she would be foolish to not expect some sort of resistance.

Little did she care.

“Come on!” Hope growled loudly at River as she threw her fighting gloves to the ground off to the side, the pair of leather mitts causing the dust to swirl up equally angrily. “Or are you just going to stare at me?!”

River clenched his jaw and stepped back, lifting his hands in surrender. It would take some getting used to having to submit to the new female alpha, but he honestly knew that he’d be stupid to actually try and take her on again. She had proven well enough that with the right motivation absolutely no one could best her.

Hope finally took a deep breath and let the glow in her eyes subside by the time River had retrieved her gloves and handed them back over to her. She didn’t want to fight with him. She needed to work with him. She respected him, and as long as he learned to respect and submit to her, they could make a formidable team.

“Unless anyone else has an issue?” Hope asked the group of wolves before her. They were all gathered, including Josie and Nim who had joined them once classes were done for the day. “We’re not a team. We’re more than that – we are family. Each and every single one of you I consider my brother and my sister. I would give my life to save yours, as long as you’d give your life to protect the pack.” Hope had no real idea where the inspirational words came from, but it was as if they were just always there. It was as if she suddenly had access to this instinctual knowledge as an alpha that she was never aware of before as a simple wolf. Whatever it was though, it was uplifting and empowering and she loved it.

“There are about thirty of you, so I will have three betas. Raf, your group will be the warriors. Jed, your group will be the sentinels. And… River – your group will be the hunters. We’ll rotate the groups on weekly basis so that every wolf can pick up every skill.” Hope paused and looked around at the faces of her pack to ensure that there were no objections or issues.

“This pack is not just for now. It is for forever. We are not only training and preparing for wat might happen tomorrow – we are also preparing for our future. Let the whole of Virginia be known as the territory of the Salvatore Crescents. Let this be our home, and let us protect it.” It quickly became clear that when Hope spoke, every wolf listened. And when Hope spoke, every single wolf cared.

When Hope spoke, the pack united.

As Hope dispersed the pack into their various factions to engage in training for the day with their betas, her gaze lingered on her mate with a soft smile, then motioned for her to follow Hope as she walked towards the mill. “You too Nim.” She called over her shoulder.

When the other two girls approached Hope as she lingered in the mill, she was busy readjusting the straps on her gloves. “Nim, you are my fourth beta. You are the healer and advisor, and I want you by Josie’s side at all times.”

Josie didn’t mind having Nim around with her, but she felt somewhat insulted as she voiced her concerns to her alpha. “Is she meant to babysit me? I can take care of myself, you know.”

Hope smirked knowingly, very aware of the fact that if she didn’t choose her next words carefully that she would set Josie off. And though she’d love to see it simply because the younger girl was irresistibly hot when she was angry, Hope wasn’t about to risk a needless fight.

“You can take care of yourself as a witch, but how much combat training have you had?” Hope arched a brow at Josie and the hybrid couldn’t argue with her insinuation.

“So, teach me.” Josie growled slightly and stepped forward.

“I plan on it.” Hope uttered simply and stepped right up to Josie in return, the pair nearly nose to nose as the tension crackled between them. Even though the lines had been drawn, it seemed like the power struggle between the two would still raise its head every now and then.

Hope loved it. She knew Josie would keep her on her toes, which was exactly what she needed.

“Shall I just…?” Nim started, wanting to sneak away before Hope stepped back from Josie and stopped her. “You and Josie will be training together whenever she’s not training with me. You two, as hybrids, need to figure out how to work best together for the overall betterment of the pack – should we find ourselves in a sticky situation. The two of you are probably the pack’s greatest resource, and I want to make sure that you are seen to and utilized in such a way.”

Hope grinned for a moment then as she stepped closer to Nim, leaning into her slightly. “But if any harm comes to MY alpha, you’ll be the first to die.”

Nim swallowed hard, but Hope was soon laughing, indicating that she was just joking. If only it wasn’t for the fact that she was shaking her head the whole time while proclaiming that she was just joking, Nim might have believed her.


	47. Overachiever

“Again!” Hope growled at the three male betas surrounding her as the rest of the pack looked on from the larger circle they formed around the four wolves, as if encasing them within a fighter’s ring.

Jed jumped at Hope first, attempting to take a swing at her head at the same time River approached from her rear, wanting to dive at her in a tackle. Both guys failed miserably as Hope dodged Jed’s blow and swiftly grabbed him by the arm, then used his own momentum against him by swinging him towards River behind her. River, instead of tackling Hope, ended up tackling Jed erroneously.

The two males quickly started growling at one another and bared slightly protruded canines, causing a distraction to Hope while Rafael snuck up on her from a different angle. Hope eyed him from the corner of her viewpoint, but as soon as Jed and River actually started a scrappy altercation, she quickly swung around to them. “Quit! Now!” She growled loudly at the pair with her eyes a threatening gold, but with her back turned to Raf, the young male quickly seized the opportunity to grab Hope in a head-lock from behind.

However, little did Raf realize that it was exactly what Hope had wanted from him, her own arms having already been in place to prevent him from securing his hold. Instead, he soon found himself flipped over Hope’s shoulders, right into the middle of the growing pile of beta males. He hit the ground flat on his back right between Jed and River, the wind knocked clear from him. He rolled over groaning.

“Again!” Hope growled even louder this time, but none of the three guys dared to move from their spot in the dirt. They were visibly exhausted, physically beaten, and egoistically bruised.

“Hope…” Josie spoke gently from the side where she was standing next to Nim, the same worried expression crossing both girls’ faces.

“What?!” Hope snapped in their direction without realizing who she was even reacting at. When she saw Josie straightening her back and tilting her chin slightly upward, the subtle hint of a glow to her dark eyes, Hope knew she had overstepped.

Breathing heavily, she finally relented and returned her gaze to the guys and the rest of the circle of wolves as they gathered amongst the trees. “Dismissed.” She said callously as she started yanking loose the straps of her fighting gloves. The wolves all started ambling towards the school building as Hope turned to watch them go, her three male betas grumbling and rubbing at the sore spots of their bodies. They had gone several rounds against Hope as the rest of the pack looked on and the tribrid was absolutely relentless. They could barely touch her.

Josie folded her arms across her chest as she watched her mate from the side. Nim gave the tall brunet a light pat on the shoulder and then started walking back to the school herself, leaving he alpha pair to have their talk in private.

“What’s going on with you?” Josie asked immediately and emphatically once the others were out of earshot.

“They HAVE to be ready. I can’t risk…” Hope sighed and paced a few steps, hands gripping at her own hips as her gaze wandered to ground.

“They are doing as much as they can, Hope. What you can’t risk is an angry, exhausted, and dissatisfied pack turning on you. Give them a break!” Josie pleaded seriously.

The comment caused Hope to snap her eyes up at Josie, her blues growing slightly wide in the sudden realization that she might actually alienate her pack if she keeps pushing them as hard as she had been for the past week.

She didn’t mean to. She’s just so…

Scared.

“I’d give them the world.” Hope sighed and rubbed over her brow in frustration. “They’re my family now.” She bit her lip and stepped towards Josie, grabbing her hand and held it firmly between hers. “YOU are my family, now, and I just cannot risk anything happening to my family.”

One of Hope’s fears regarding becoming alpha that she had before had been raising its ugly head as of late within the dark spaces of her mind. She felt responsible for her pack, her family. No, she WAS responsible for them, and she wouldn’t be able to bear it should any harm come to them. She knew the level of her fear was irrational, but she had been struggling.

She had been struggling with this fear more than usual as of lately for one simple reason: Hope had never been this happy before. She had a pack, a family unit that grew stronger in bonding every single day. She had an amazing love by her side. She had freedom and she had purpose.

And she could not shake the nagging feeling at the back of her mind, reminding her constantly, that it could all go awry so quickly with the threat of the Necromancer still on the loose.

“Your family is stronger than you think, stronger than what you give us credit for.” Josie coaxed gently and pulled Hope closer. It only took the other girl a split second to wrap Josie tightly within her arms. “We won’t disappoint you.” Josie whispered into Hope’s hair as she buried her face there, hugging her and holding her and soothing her until she could feel the alpha relaxing in her grasp.

“Come on…” Hope pulled back and flashed a smile at Josie some minutes later, then proceeded to wag her brows as she stepped backward. “Let’s go for a run.”

Josie grinned. She didn’t need a second invitation.

Hours later they would find themselves a mess of sweaty skin and tangled limbs within a clearing somewhere deep in the forest, just as the peaking moon started calling the fireflies to come out to dance.

(…)

“We can go for a hike.” Alaric raised his brows while his twins stared at him in confusion the following day.

“Is that a metaphor for something remotely more exciting than walking through some trees and shrubbery?” Lizzie asked, hopeful.

“Well, we’d be walking uphill too, don’t forget that.” Ric answered the blonde sarcastically.

“In that case, no thanks.” Lizzie shrugged and leaned back in her chair.

Josie had approached her father regarding the problem she had witnessed with Hope and the wolves and had been trying her best to emphasize the importance of the students still getting to experience some semblance of normal teenage life. They needed a distraction – a break from training especially – she implored her father.

Thus the current suggestion on the table.

“One hike for a pack of wolves isn’t enough, dad.” Josie tilted he head, clearly not impressed.

“No, I’m serious, it will be fun. A few hours hike from here into the hills there’s a waterfall with a pool and plenty of camping space. We could go for a night or two. No forced activities; just some time to relax and bond. And it’s still close enough to school to be safe.” Alaric offered, sincerely, and allowed the darker of his two daughters to consider the offer.

“Just the wolves?” Lizzie squeaked indignantly.

“I thought you weren’t interested.” Ric noted pointedly.

“I was just kidding, daddy. I love…nature…and all that.” Lizzie gave her trademark sweet smile that she always gave when she was trying to cover up something. In this case it was, perhaps, her desire to watch a bunch of sweaty werewolf boys shirtless and splashing around.

“Well I doubt most of the witches would be interested anyway. And the vampires are unlikely to go wherever there’s a large gathering of wolves, so…” Ric shrugged, trying to put the pieces of his plan together.

“So, it’s a wolves-only trip?” Josie asked in confusion. That just sounded like it could turn into bootcamp.

“No!” Alaric and Lizzie both echoed at the same time, before Ric elaborated. “That wouldn’t be fair. We’ll just call it a senior excursion weekend. Whoever wants to go, can go. And those who choose to stay can have a movie marathon in the hall or something. Everyone wins by getting to choose how they would like to have their fun – indoors or outdoors.”

Josie finally smiled, then. She liked the idea. She knew some wolves will prefer to stay behind at school, but most would enjoy some time out in nature. Camping, waterfalls and swimming, soaking up some sun, and running into the night didn’t sound half bad to her.

It didn’t sound half bad to Hope either when Josie informed her of the plan some time later. She remained a little reluctant with the safety of the pack in its entirety always first on her brain, but she could not deny that blowing off some steam like that was a great idea. She happily agreed.


	48. Hiking 101

It was early morning on the following Friday that the gang of hikers set off from school to their spot in the hills. As predicted, most witches and vampires opted to stay at school for the weekend movie marathon of Harry Potter (go figure). All of the wolves, on the other hand, opted to go as they did not wish to be separated from their pack or their alpha. It made Hope feel a sense of pride.

Along with the wolves a few stray witches and vampires decided to join, Lizzie amongst them, of course. And wherever Lizzie decided to go, MG was sure to follow. Not trusting MG to his own devices, Kaleb was hot on his friend’s heels. Nim had also convinced Jade to join her and Josie was happy to observe what seemed like a budding romance developing between the two girls.

Alaric and Dorian chose to chaperone the group for the camping trip, while Emma stayed behind at school to lead the watchful party that would keep an eye on the rest of the school.

(…)

“Wait, so I have to carry this thing all the way up into the hills? By myself?” Lizzie stared at the hiking backpack that contained everything she would need, second-guessing her decision to join this trip.

“I’ll carry it for you. No problem.” MG gave his most cheerful smile as he offered, but soon felt Kaleb’s heavy hand on his shoulder. 

“Your ass is so scrawny, you can barely lift your own.” He took a crack at MG, who was unimpressed.

“I AM a vampire.” He tried to remind Kaleb, who remained unconvinced.

“You eat bunny blood, buddy…” Kaleb continued torturing MG in front of Lizzie, right to the point where she told them both to shut up and that she would carry her own damn pack.

“Why don’t you guys get real blood to drink?” Nim asked Jade in confusion after overhearing the argument and the thought sent a chill down Jade’s spine as she started walking, following the trail of people starting to move ahead of them.

“They’re worried exposing the vamps to real blood would cause more harm than good. It could cause addictions. It could give rise to rippers.” Jade sighed, unable to meet Nim’s gaze where she walked beside her.

“Ripper? I’ve heard of Stefan Salvatore. One of the founders of the school, right?” Nim asked, genuinely and simply curious.

“Not quite.” Josie answered from behind Nim. “The school building itself was once the Salvatore boarding house and home of the Salvatores, especially the Salvatore brothers – Stefan and Damon – after they returned to Mystic Falls as vampires. They were close friends with my father.”

“So, you knew THEE Salvatores?” Nim asked, intrigued.

“Lizzie and I met them as little kids… Our mom was married to Stefan, very briefly. He died. Damon took the cure, he’s still living with Elena and apparently they have a daughter just slightly younger than us.

“Wow, I wonder what it’s like being that close to a ripper. Like… what happens when the craving hits? Everyone’s fair game, right?” Nim mused as she stepped over some rocks, missing the look of dread that crossed Jade’s face as she stretched her legs, walking faster and moving ahead of the conversation as if trying to escape it.

(…)

“OH MY GOD! SPIDER! SPIDER! GET IT OFF! NOOOWWWWW!!!!” Lizzie squealed as she twirled around and around furiously, tripping over her own feet, and planting herself face-first into the dirt.

(…)

“Ninety-three bottles of beer on the wall – ninety-three bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around – ninety-two bottles of beer on the wall!”

(…)

“Do you want kids?” Hope blurted out suddenly in question, though she was unable to catch Josie’s gaze as they walked side by side. She could feel her cheeks burn warm.

Josie blinked at the girl next to her in surprise, but then bit her lower lip in thought. “Yeah, I think so. Well not right now…”

“No, no… someday, one day, when I’ve built us a house and you’ve turned it into a home and there’s an art studio for my paintings and a sunroom where you can read and write and there’s a swimming pool in the back yard with a great big jungle gym where the kids can play and a big yard where they can run around until they’re exhausted…” Hope rambled on in the cutest way Josie could ever imagine, her heart melting as this kickass young woman who held her heart within her hands dreamed bout complete domestic bliss.

(…)

“Fifty-four bottles of beer on the wall – fifty-four bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around – fifty-three bottles of beer on the wall!”

(…)

“If Superman actually managed to reach Lois Lane before she hit the ground, he’d only be worsening her death!” MG appealed emphatically.

“In what way? He just caught her from falling to her death!” Rafael scoffed.

“In the way that if Lois Lane hit Superman’s arms – of steel, I might add – at that kind of speed, he’d just end up slicing her up into three equal parts.” MG explained excitedly.

“Man, that’s dark…” Kaleb uttered on MG’s other side.

“Even if he decelerated to match her speed?” Rafael shook his head, unwilling to admit defeat in the nerdiest argument on earth just yet.

“There’s no space! She’s two feet above the ground when he reaches her, where must he get space and time to decelerate adequately?” MG argued furiously in return.

“Goddamn, ya’ll are boring…” Kaleb yawned and rolled his eyes.

(…)

“Okay we’ll take a rest here next to the stream. Find a spot to chill, grab some food and water. We’ll leave again in an hour.” Alaric notified the group of students as they reached a clearing that stretched rather wide along the stream on either side with lots of sunny and shady spots to lay down and relax in the soft grass. They had been hiking for about 2 hours already and had about another 2 ahead of them. Alaric stayed around the middle of the traveling band of students, while Dorian held up the rear. At the front Ric had gotten an old friend to join them for their outing (and assist with their protection) in one Jeremy Gilbert.

“WHO is that?!” Lizzie squeaked as she watched Jeremy tug his shirt over his head at the far end of the rest camp and soak it in the stream, before wiping his face and wetting his hair to help battle the heat.

“Hey, that’s the guy that saved me and… well, the one time I had a werewolf hunter on my tail and that guy stopped him.” Rafael exclaimed, though he faltered at the part where he would have had to insert Landon’s name.

“That’s Jeremy.” Josie started to explain as they all dropped their backpacks in a pile. “He’s Elena Gilbert’s brother.

“Wait, is he the hot hunter guy?” Lizzie grew in excitement, but then paused as she observed the half-naked man from afar. “But I don’t see any tattoos.”

“That’s because only hunters can see the tattoos.” Hope aided in explanation before Josie could jump in again, offering her girl a small smile instead.

“Wait, what exactly does he hunt?” MG cast his gaze from one super squad member to the next, anxiously.

“Don’t worry, he only hunts the bad ones.” Josie tried to offer comfortingly, but Kaleb was the epitome of suspicion.

“Vampires? He hunts vampires?!” He exclaimed almost too loudly, some curious eyes bouncing their way.

“Wolves too. But only the ones that need hunting, okay, so relax.” Hope emphasized and gave Kaleb a look that told him he really needed to shut up now.

“Wait, where’s Lizzie…?” Josie asked a second later, only to look up and find her sister casually conversing with Jeremy at the edge of the stream.

(…)

“Hey listen, there’s something you need to know.” Josie spoke softly as she and Nim waded through the stream where its banks widened and allowed them more space to cool off in. “It’s about Jade.”

“Well if it’s about Jade, shouldn’t she be the one to tell me?” Nim arched her brow at her friend and alpha, respectfully but also in warning.

“But she won’t. Look, just don’t get tempted or think it’s a good idea to give her real blood, okay? Kaleb tried doing that for MG once, as a friend, and we nearly lost him. The rest she can tell you.” Josie strung her words together quickly, but articulately, trying to keep her voice down as to not be heard.

(…)

Hope watched as some of the wolves ran around the clearing, playfully tackling each other and getting into wrestling competitions. She smiled softly at them. They were so young and full of vibrant life and energy. She could feel the love within her heart for each and every single one of them grow stronger by the day. She understood this to be part of being an alpha and forming the alpha bond with the whole pack. She just never imagined that it would feel so strong, or make her so happy. She was everything with the pack behind her, and nothing without them. The pack was her biggest strength, but also her worst downfall. She just wasn’t sure which side would come forward first.

(…)

“My dearest sister, come here for a second, won’t you?” Lizzie pleaded with Josie in the sweetest tone she could muster. She was seated next to her backpack as people were slowly busy getting them strapped to their backs once more in order to take on the rest of the journey.

“Hmm what’s wrong?” Josie asked as Lizzie slipped her hands into the brunette’s, holding tightly onto their entwined fingers.

“Nothing. I just wanted you to know that I miss you, and I’m really starting to feel a little abandoned, and I…” Lizzie seemed to stall for time and Josie quickly caught on why.

“And you’re siphoning from me?! Lizzie!” It was such a weird feeling for Josie. Other than herself, she had never felt the effects of being siphoned for her magic. It was different when someone else was doing it. It was almost like a burning sensation shooting through your veins, but then pulling back and pulling your life force with it. It was terrible. After another few long seconds Josie had to break the contact and pulled her hands away abruptly.”

“Don’t be selfish, Jo! It wasn’t even that much!” Lizzie whined as Josie looked to Hope with big eyes. “That’s what it feels like? What it has always felt like for you? We both used to siphon you at the same time! How did you stand it?” Josie could not imagine the pain Hope must have had to experience every time.

“I got used to it…for you. I had to, especially as we got older. At least I’ve got more to give than the average wolf or vampire.”

“Have I told you lately how amazing you are?” Josie swooned a bit over her girl as she walked up to her with a bright smile. Hope matched her smile as show steadily wrapped her arms around the taller girl and meshed their lips together in a soft and slow kiss.

“Eww! Get a room, god!!” Lizzie gagged dramatically at the two.

“Why were you siphoning anyway?” Josie implored a few moments later once she had untangled herself from her mate.

“I wanted to levitate the bag, but I’ll run out of juice pretty quick.” Lizzie sighed, defeated, right before River stepped into the space in front of her that only her bag occupied. “I’ll carry it for you.” He smirked at Lizzie and lifted the bag, carrying it in his arms with his own pack strapped to his back, and doing it all as if it were absolutely nothing. He casually walked off as the group started to move.

“Oh, there must be a God…” Lizzie sighed dreamily as she watched River’s backside, leaving Josie and Hope to chuckle and roll their eyes at the hopeless blonde.

(…)

“Thirty-five bottles of beer on the wall – thirty-five bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around – thirty-four bottles of beer on the wall!”

(…)

“I’ve got to admit something to you.” Jade muttered under her breath as she walked the winding path next to Nim. Their road into the hills was getting steeper and more narrow now, allowing both for intimate conversation just as much as eavesdropping opportunities.

“You’re a ripper?” Nim asked her nonchalantly, Josie having said enough for her to figure it out. She wasn’t crazy about the idea, but it was hardly enough to cut the girl loose, especially since it was out of her control.

“How’d you…?” Jade asked, her voice small.

“I’m clever like that.” Nim smirked. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. It was insensitive. And I’m sure you take great care.”

“I swear I do…” Jade smiled and reached for Nim’s hand.

(…)

“Girls or boys?” Josie asked out of the blue as she glanced to Hope beside her, the hands clasped tightly within one another as they walked.

“What?” Hope had been lost in thought, so the question caught her off-guard.

“The kids, running around the backyard and climbing the jungle gym. Boys or girls?” Josie tried to clear up the confusion.

Hope blushed, but grinned broadly. “One each. A boy with unruly dark hair and dark eyes, but the sweetest smile you can imagine. And a girl, with bright blue eyes and auburn hair and a will of her own.”

Josie giggled and lightly bumped her shoulder against Hope’s. “Sounds familiar. I love it.”

“I love you…” Hope cooed in response.

“I love you too…” Josie whispered.

(…)

“Eighteen bags of blood on the wall – eighteen bags of blood! Take one down, pass it around – seventeen bags of blood on the wall!”

“Shut the fuck up, Kaleb!!”

(…)

“Okay, we’ve made it guys!” Alaric exclaimed excitedly with a tired sigh as they reached a large grassy clearing in the top part of the hills. The stream was still trickling past nearby and off to the side, where it sprung from a larger pool of water at the bottom of a beautifully broad waterfall only bout 35 feet high. It was perfect and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous.

“Boys can set up their tents over there to the left. Girls, set up over here to the right. Twins, can I get you to please set up a protective barrier in about a 5-mile radius around camp? Everyone get settled in.” Alaric clapped his hands for everyone to hop to their tasks.

“I’ll set up our tent while you and Lizzie do the barrier.” Hope gave Josie a chaste kiss on the cheek, causing the taller girl to smile warmly and contentedly.

“And by ‘our’ you mean the one for the three of us, right?” Lizzie arched a brow at the tribrid, very seriously.

“Ah, you’re not sharing a tent with us.” Hope arched a brow to match the blonde twin.

“She’s MY sister. I need company and comfort! You get her all the time!” Lizzie screeched indignantly. It made Josie feel a little guilty as she rubbed her hand over her face.

“Fine, share a tent with us. Just don’t mind what we do while you’re asleep.” Hope wagged her brows and caused Josie to flush red in embarrassment at the insinuation.

“Gross Mikaelson! You’re not having sex with my sister in that tent!” Lizzie squealed, mentally scarred, and raised her voice far too loud. A few people stopped and stared at the trio, including Alaric. Josie wished the ground would just swallow her now.

“Josie, you’re sharing with Lizzie. Hope can sleep by herself, being alpha and all.” Alaric scoffed and gave the girls his best warning glare. He felt about as scarred as Lizzie, if not more so.

“Goddamnit Lizzie!” Hope ground out through her teeth and sighed in exasperation. “Fine. If I don’t get my girl, you don’t get ANY of my wolves.”

Lizzie paused, thought for a second, then pulled a disappointed face as if she only realized then that she had passed up an opportunity for sneaking any boys into her tent during the night.

“Damnit…” She snorted, contemplating her plans for the night ahead.


	49. Interlude to a Night Well Spent

“So, which one do you think should be the flavor of the weekend?” Lizzie smiled salaciously as she eyed the abundance of boys surrounding them from her seat on a soft patch of grass next to her sister.

Josie stared at Lizzie, dumbstruck. “Who ARE you?”

“Oh, come on Jo!” Lizzie whined and grabbed her twin by the arm. “Ever since you and Hope have been doing it doggy-style – ew, I might add – I’ve been all alone! So, what’s the harm in wanting someone to make this atrocious idea of hiking and camping worth it?”

“Lizzie, you’re supposed to be dating MG. If you don’t pay him some attention this weekend, I’m afraid he might explode into a puffy cloud of feathers.” Josie’s eyes scanned the crowd until they settled on MG, who had been watching them just as closely from across the field. He had managed to gain some serious ground with Lizzie, and her behavior towards his romantic feelings for her had come a long way, but Josie was still afraid that Lizzie simply didn’t consider him as a serious paramour. She hated to see his sad puppy eyes drag after her blonde twin.

“MG knows that things are just casual between us. He should know better than to get his hopes up.” Lizzie waved off the notion as if it was nothing, before letting her gaze wander the people who were busy with all sorts of various tasks.

Some were setting up their tents and camping areas, while others were busy building fir pits all around. Some of the wolves couldn’t stand the allure of the waterfall and the pool in the hot afternoon sun anymore and were already diving from the lower cliffs and showing off their athletic skills by seeing who could do the most impressive summersaults into the water. Some of the wolves had even found a tree with sturdy branches set close to the deeper side of the pool and were busy tying a rope to it. The hounds were clearly out to have a good time over the weekend.

“You know he has already got his hopes up, Lizzie!” Josie sighed in frustration, but her sister would inevitably follow her own whims and she knew there was little she could do to stop the steam-rolling blonde.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let him down easy.” Lizzie uttered through her teeth as she grinned over to MG and gave him a small wave. The simple action seemed to send the poor vampire into the clouds. Lizzie’s gaze then travelled over to where Jeremy was helping some of the boys with their tents, his shirt removed and tucked into the back of his pants and hanging from where it was hooked into the waistband. Lizzie found herself having to make an effort to stop from drooling as she observed the solid mass of rippling muscle that the man was.

“Hmmm what about mysterious hunter man.” Lizzie uttered slowly before biting down on her bottom lip.

“Jeremy Gilbert? Lizzie! He’s like, almost as old as mom!” Josie’s eyes widened at her sister.

“And? What’s your point?” Lizzie asked, confused, though Josie knew the confusion wasn’t genuine.

“He was in a relationship with Bonnie Bennet. You know? Mom’s best friend?” Josie tried to further emphasize the ways in which this idea of her sister’s was a bad one.

“I thought Elena Gilbert was mom’s best friend.” Lizzie muttered offhandedly as she craned her neck to follow Jeremy’s movements.

“Yeah, her too, whose brother that is… LIZZIE ARE YOU LISTENING?!” Josie raised her voice harshly in her sister’s ear.

“Calm down Jo, geez! Any more of your shouting and you’ll start a howling party.” Lizzie paused then and glanced to her sister next to her with surprise written all over her face.

“Did you just crack a wolf joke at your own twin?” Josie narrowed her eyes at Lizzie.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry Jo. Maybe it’s just because I can practically smell Hope Mikaelson all over you.” Lizzie blinked, not sure if she just managed to remove her foot from her mouth, or rather insert it further.

“Oh yeah, and what does Hope Mikaelson smell like?” Lizzie realized she had definitely inserted her foot further once she heard the voice coming from behind her. She didn’t need to turn to put a name to the voice, though she was stealthy enough to turn an apologetic smile at Hope as she approached.

“Like my girlfriend.” Josie purred up at Hope with her head canted backward as the tribrid came to stand behind the brunette.

“Well hello my love. Is your sister melting your brain again?” Hope smirked down at Josie and gave her a playful wink.

“Cujo, think you can bear to let us continue this very important decision-making process in peace?” Lizzie grinned over at Hope, slightly nodding her head as if to encourage the older girl.

“By no means do I wish to be party to this… sausage selection.” Hope rolled her eyes as she swiftly brushed her gaze along the wolves all around them. Not that they were all boys, but the majority seemed to be.

Josie made a displeased face at her mate, but tried to shake the mental image off as quick as she could. “Where are you off to?” She asked Hope curiously, wishing she could just go with, wherever it was.

“I’m going to go mark the parameters just inside the protective barrier you guys put up.” Hope offered, but chuckled as Josie lifted one brow, longing for a better explanation. “That way the pack can keep track of my scent from all directions, and if a strange presence passes through into my territory, we’ll all pick it up immediately.”

“You’re going to go piss on trees?!” Lizzie shrieked, her face a perfect mix of grossed out dissent.

“Lizzie! I’m a girl! I scratch the bark off the trees – there are scent glands in the pads of my paws. Geez!” Hope exclaimed indignantly, but it only caused Lizzie to arch one suspicious brow at her.

“So that’s why I smell you all over my poor twin.” She muttered.

“Are you jealous?” Hope grinned suddenly.

“Why would I be jealous? Because of you?” Lizzie frowned deeply.

“Because your sister is getting laid and you’re not…” Hope wagged her brows, causing Lizzie to gag.

“Urgh, just leave and go bark up your trees! Please!” Lizzie begged squeamishly.

“Goodluck baby…” Hope bent down and whispered in her mate’s ear before pecking her on the cheek, then walked off slowly as she waved to Josie who was clearly pleading with her eyes for Hope to stay. It didn’t help.

“Now how about deliciously dark wolf-man over there…” Lizzie moved right along as she set her sights on River. He was busy playing with a group of younger wolves in the shallows of the pool, the boys tackling and wrestling one another into the water.

“I thought you disapproved of wolves.” Josie asked, only half-interested. She was quite over Lizzie’s canvassing, so to speak.

“I just like yanking Hope’s chain. The wolves are hot. Especially that one.” Lizzie went back to the salacious smiling as she eyed the Beta.

(…)

Hope sniffled through the fallen leaves and twigs from one tree to the next. Every few feet she’d rise onto her hind legs and leave long and deep scratches along the bark of the trees, leaving her scent behind with it. She made sure to keep within about a 4-mile radius around the camp, about a mile inside the protective barrier that the twins put up, figuring it would allow enough space for any possible intruders to get noticed.

As she leaned into another tree and again dropped to the ground, she hit a patch of loose soil, though as she looked down and took a closer sniff, she realized there were feint patches of mud surrounding the small area directly around her. It would be pretty normal, if it weren’t for the fact that the particular spot was too far from a water source to form mud while the soil in a wider circle around her was dry.

And it just… somehow… smelled so familiar.

(…)

By the time Hope returned to camp, just about everyone was playing in and around the pool and its waterfall. The afternoon heat had grown quite unbearable for wolves, witches and vampires alike, leading to all alike to have a good splash about.

Hope quickly spotted the twins, her first priority to always check on her mate first and whether she was still okay. Josie was better than okay, it seemed then. She was having a great time, judging by the laughter shaking her from deep within. Her grin was wide as she splashed water back at MG and Kaleb, not having noticed Rafael sneaking up behind her and picking her clean out of the water only to toss her a foot further, sending her splashing into the pool again.

Her head popped out from the surface soon after and she squealed in child-like delight that caused a swarm of butterflies to rage within Hope’s belly as she watched from the side. She could not believe that this young woman was not only hers… but was hers forever. Even from the slight distance, Hope could make out the subtle bite mark on Josie’s shoulder – the tell-tale sign that she belonged to Hope and only Hope, causing her chest to swell with pride.

“She’s quite something…” Hope got a brief fright at the voice popping up beside her.

“You know you shouldn’t sneak up on your alpha.” She smirked then at Nim, giving her a sideways glance.

“She’s incredibly powerful too. She hasn’t even started to discover the extent of her magical abilities. I can see it brimming within her when we practice.” Nim nodded towards Josie, a small smile on her lips.

Hope smiled genuinely, beyond proud of her mate. “And how is she getting along with her wolf, from your perspective?” Hope knew what she saw from her side, which was mostly the playful and affectionate side of Josie’s wolf. But she needed the bigger picture.

“She does well as a wolf. She has strong instincts that have not let her down thus far – extremely intuitive. She can almost sense events before they occur, as if she is completely in tune with the natural world’s vibrations. And I’ve noticed that she seems to siphon magic from herself in wolf form – potent magic, and large amounts of it. She’s able to store it in some sort of inner reservoir. The magic she performs after being in wolf form is truly magnificent, perhaps even a little frightening.” Nim relayed the information to Hope in as accurate a way as she possibly could.

“All I want in this life is for her to be safe and happy… and all I could ever hope for in this life is to be worthy of her.” Hope sighed with a soft smile as she followed Josie’s movements through the water.

(…)

By the time the sun started setting and the air started to grow cold, wet clothes was exchanged for comfier tracksuits and hoodies and seats around the campfires scattered around the edges of the camping areas. There was a joyous familial sharing of food and drink, treats and jokes, and even stories told and songs sung together. As darkness settled in upon the group and tiny burning cinders floated into the sky, the atmosphere grew cozy and peaceful, even lazy, as chilled bodies started huddling together, or curling up against one another.

Hope sat on a towel up against a tree trunk, while Josie leaned back between her legs, a fluffy blanket wrapped around them both as they watched the fire dancing some inches away from their legs and feet. They listened on the one side to Kaleb’s singing, while on the other side there were some whispers shared between Lizzie and MG. On the other side of the fire Rafael was tossing twigs into the flames, thoughtfully, while Nim and Jade had also curled up together to his other side.

It was amazing, Josie thought, how busy and distracted everyone could be when so lost in thought while staring into the hypnotic movement of the flames and getting lost in the heat that the fire radiated. So lost, in fact, that no one could easily notice what another might be getting up to. And as Hope kept the blanket wrapped tightly around them, Josie felt daring enough to prove that little theory.

It wasn’t long before slender fingers skimmed across Hope’s thighs and slowly circled their way inwards, creeping up to the apex ever so slowly, the tips of her touches merely dancing lightly along. Hope cleared her throat uncomfortably and shifted a little, not sure whether what was happening behind Josie’s back with her hands was on purpose or by happy accident.

So, she gave it another moment or two, just to see where those fingers would dare travel.

“Oh god…” Hope moaned lowly into the back of Josie’s neck as soon as it turned out that those fingers knew exactly where they were going and what they were doing. And as they deftly played with all of Hope’s buttons, pressing them one by one in painful ecstasy, Hope knew she had to extricate herself from the situation immediately. “I am so sleepy…” She turned her moan into a yawn and clenched her thighs tightly in order to trap Josie’s hands and prevent them from moving further. “I think I’ll go sleep. I’ll be up early to take a run and check out the area.”

“I’m coming with.” Josie started moving, but quickly had her arm grabbed onto by Lizzie, who swiftly yanked her back down.

“Nuh uh. No hanky panky for you tonight. You’re staying with me.” Lizzie reminded Josie who, if looks could kill, would have sliced her twin in half by now.

By that time Hope had already wandered off to her tent, leaving Josie to sigh with deep sadness at such a missed opportunity.


	50. Author's Note

Hey guys

So two things:

1 - My laptop is not feeling so well and needs some TLC, which I'm not sure when exactly I'll be able to have that done. Until then I don't have access to this fic in order to continue working on it.

2 - I could write it on my phone in the meantime, but I'd prefer not to. And to be very honest I have been struggling with it for the past few chapters and I feel like a small break might do me and the fic some good. I need to get some perspective on it.

Then the bonus thing:

\- For those of you who don't follow me as a user and are unaware of this, I have created another Hosie "book" which will serve as an anthology to one-shots. PLEASE hop on over to my little corner and take a look at what I had to say about it. You will also find the first one-shot uploaded now.

Sorry folks, I promise Surreptitious will be back again soon! I just need to clear my mind a little and get around some creative blocks - and writing one-shots of all sorts of different stuff helps to get the creative juices flowing again.

Regards  
Wolfie


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